Mission: Impossible
by phoenixnz
Summary: Your mission is to read this fic. As always should any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck. This fic will not self-destruct.  Het fic
1. Prologue

Lex Luthor couldn't look inconspicuous if he tried. Bald since he was nine, it was something that attracted attention where ever he went. That and the fact that he'd been born into a rich family. His father, Lionel, had made his fortune on the backs of others, specialising in buying out struggling companies, ripping them to shreds and selling off parts of them for a profit. Lionel had been known as something of a shark. Despised in the business world. It was a good thing that Lex had decided long ago that that line of work was not for him.

Still, as he made his way along the corridor of the train, heading for his own private compartment, he recognised the looks of some of the people glaring at him. They were the glares of hatred, expecting that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Lex could deal with that, if he had to. Most of the time, he just ignored it.

As he continued along the corridor, he bumped into a woman. Long red hair done up in a loose knot, she reminded him of an old girlfriend. Hell, she could be as far as he knew. That or his mother, who had had red hair. Or the mother of a friend of his.

"Excuse me," he said.

The woman stared at him for a moment. "Lex Luthor?"

"Yes," he said, responding automatically.

"Of the Metropolis Luthors?"

"Yes." He sighed, already tired of this game.

"Well, I must say, you're better looking than your father. Although your photographs do not do you justice."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said.

"You should," she said. Another person passing bumped into them, pushing her against him. Lex steadied her. She smelled like gardenias. The scent could have been overpowering if done badly, but she obviously knew her perfumes. It was subtle.

"That's a lovely fragrance you're wearing. Gardenias, isn't it? They were my mother's favourite flowers."

She smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mr Luthor."

"Lex," he smiled back.

She was running her hand along his arm flirtatiously. "You know, if you're wanting some company – these trips can get so dull."

"Thank you. I'm flattered. Another time perhaps."

Lex could see she was disappointed, but he nodded politely and stepped aside so she could pass him and carried on toward his compartment. He opened the door, then slid it firmly shut, locking it. Taking his briefcase from the bed, he opened it and pulled out a small portable DVD player, feeling in his pocket for the disk the redhead had slipped in. She had been one of the girls who worked in the office. They were often used for these introductory sessions. Their meeting and subsequent conversation had been pre-arranged. As were they all.

Lex inserted the disk and waited for it to run. An image popped up on the screen and a voice was heard through the speaker.

"Good morning Mr Luthor."

A video of a heavy set man with dark features was shown getting into a car. Then a still of his face appeared in a window next to the video.

"The man you are looking at is John Kerridge. He is believed to be a drug and arms dealer out of Texas. Our sources tell us that Kerridge is planning on stealing this." Another image showed of a high-tech weapon. "The prototype of this weapon is under development at, ironically, Luthorcorp. Kerridge plans to auction this to the highest bidder, and we believe he may be dealing with terrorist groups in the Middle East. Your mission, Lex, should you choose to accept it, is to stop Kerridge before the sale goes through.

"We have chosen members for your new team." More images showed on the screen. A brunet with green eyes and perfect features. Lex knew him. Of course. "Clark Kent. I believe you and he were friends for a short time a long time ago. Clark has a number of special skills and abilities and we think he will be an asset to your team. I'm sure, given your previous friendship with Kent you will be aware of his skills."

The photograph of a woman with shoulder length blonde hair and sparkling green eyes showed next. She was average height, but extraordinarily beautiful. Lex liked her on sight.

"Chloe Sullivan. She used to be a newspaper reporter until her husband was murdered by a man posing as a paramedic. She went after the paramedic and forced a confession out of him, then turned him over to Metropolis police. Chloe is an expert hacker and a certified genius."

Next up was a face Lex knew well. He had gone to school with the tall, blonde man.

"Oliver Queen. His parents were killed when their plane went down in the Pacific when young Oliver was nine years old. As you would be aware, Oliver Queen attended Excelsior Academy with you and later became one of the youngest archery champions in the world. He is an expert on all types of weapons."

Then there was a brunette woman. The video showed her at an army base, talking with a man in uniform. Lex peered at the man, realising it was general Sam Lane.

"Lois Lane. And yes, that is her father, the four-star general Sam Lane. Lois has grown up around Green Berets and is familiar with all types of ordinance. She is also well-versed in all military scenarios. Ms Lane was headed for a career in investigative journalism herself until she began working with Perry White on an expose on Lionel Luthor. Perry White was murdered and Ms Lane's career was destroyed by your father. Incidentally, she has been partnered with Clark Kent on several occasions and the two work well together."

Lex nodded. It looked like he had a good team. His handler continued.

As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Lex. This disk will self-destruct in five seconds."

Lex closed the player, then leaned back in his seat as there was a small popping sound. Smoke wafted from the side of the player. Lex put it on the bed and grabbed his briefcase, opening up the door and shutting it, turning and walking back along the corridor.

As the train slowed and came to a halt at the platform, Lex got out, walking along the small platform to a car parked in the lot next door. The platform was deserted. He gunned the engine of the Porsche – his one indulgence since leaving Luthorcorp behind at age twenty-two and turned the car around, heading back down the highway.


	2. Chapter 1: The Team

Chapter One

The penthouse apartment was the one thing he had managed to keep when he'd finally split from Luthorcorp. It might have been bought with Luthorcorp funds, but it had been a gift to his mother, and Lex had inherited it on her death. Of course, it had been modernised in the seventeen years since then. He'd updated the furnishings, discarding the cold blues and greys and monotones which had often been favoured by Lionel Luthor and replaced them with creams and softer tones.

Lex had added a few extras in the nine years since leaving Luthorcorp for good. He'd added plasma screens which could be hidden away, the mechanisms operated by remote. Almost everything in the apartment could be operated by remote. The one thing it lacked was an automatic chef, Lex thought with a wry grin.

As the last of his team entered the penthouse, Lex took a moment to look them over. Lois Lane was every bit as beautiful as her photographs had suggested. Since Lionel had destroyed her newspaper career, she had taken to freelancing as a cover. As tough as she was beautiful, Lois had been to some of the most dangerous, war-torn corners of the world.

Chloe Sullivan. Equally as beautiful. What she lacked in toughness, she made up for in brains. She'd been courted by every high tech organisation in the country. It was a good thing the agency had got to her first. And it turned out, she and Lois were cousins.

Oliver Queen. They'd been classmates at Excelsior and had had a mutual enmity. But Lex knew it was time to bury the hatchet. Oliver had skills which would be useful to the missions.

And Clark Kent. They'd met when Lex had been sent to Smallville when he was twenty-one. Ten years ago. Clark was twenty-four now. One year younger than his partner, Lois. Although Lex wasn't exactly certain of the extent of that partnership. If it was more than a working partnership, they certainly kept it quiet.

He and Clark had been friends for a year after Clark had saved his life.

_Lex hadn't enjoyed being exiled to a town like Smallville. Full of resentment as he'd toured the Luthorcorp fertiliser plant, getting to know the facilities, he had left feeling like everyone was glaring at him. He'd driven along the main highway back to the castle which was to be his home, feeling very much put out at his father's final edict. Shape up or be disinherited. At this point, he'd decided that being disinherited was eminently preferable._

_Distracted by his thoughts, he hadn't seen the baling wire falling off the truck ahead, rolling onto the road in front of him. The first he knew about it was a bang underneath as his front tyre exploded. Wrenching the wheel as the car began to skid and fishtail out of control, he stared in panic at the young man standing on the bridge. The young man stared back, frozen in shock. Lex blacked out at the moment of impact as the car hit the boy, and the railing at the same time._

_He dreamed he was flying. At least it seemed like a dream, until he was harshly pulled back into his body. He coughed up dirty water from his lungs, choking, then stared up into the most amazing green eyes he'd ever seen._

"_I thought I hit you," he said, and that sounded illogical even coming from his own lips._

_The boy, panting, his hair dripping water, shook his head. "If you did, I'd be ... I'd be dead."_

_Lex had started to struggle to get to his feet. The boy made him stay down._

"_You took a pretty bad hit," he said. "Plus you drowned. At least lie still until the paramedics get here. I think the truck driver was calling them."_

_Lex nodded. "I'm Lex. Lex Luthor."_

"_Clark Kent."_

_That had been the beginning of their friendship. Several months later, Lex had bumped into a reporter outside the local coffee shop. There'd been an article about him in the paper. Correction, an article about someone who looked like him, robbing the Smallville Savings and Loan._

_Lex glared at the man leaning on his car._

"_May I help you?"_

_The man smirked. "Roger Nixon. Metropolis Inquisitor."_

"_Get off my car."_

_Nixon nodded toward the paper in the stand. "That's a hell of a picture, Lex. You know, it really boosted our sales."_

"_I've read comic books with less fiction than your rag," Lex said derisively._

"_Well, how about this? Is this fiction?" Nixon held up a file. "It's your juvenile record. Fascinating reading. It must have taken a truck load of your dad's money to keep all those people quiet."_

"_Those records are sealed," Lex said, trying to hold back his anger._

_Nixon shrugged. "I'm a resourceful guy."_

_Lex had later learned that Nixon's brother had worked in juvenile court and he'd given the papers to Nixon. Lex had then contacted the editor of the Inquisitor and threatened the paper with a lawsuit and Nixon had been summarily dismissed. _

_But Nixon hadn't been deterred. There was something worth investigating in Smallville and he'd quickly learned that Clark was different. _

_Lex had been on his way to the farm one afternoon when he'd seen Nixon's car speeding off along the highway. He pulled into the gravel driveway and stopped the car. Martha Kent stumbled out of the barn, bleeding from a gash on her forehead. Lex got out of the car. _

"_Mrs Kent?"_

"_He took Clark," the redhead told him in a panic. _

"_Who?"_

"_The reporter. You have to help Clark."_

_Lex didn't hesitate. He got back in the car and turned it around, dialling the police telling them to hurry to the Kent Farm. He raced in the direction Nixon had gone, knowing his Porsche was faster than Nixon's car. He caught up with him in less than five minutes, relieved that Nixon hadn't turned off._

_Aware of the possibility that Clark might be injured, Lex pondered the consequences. He sat on the horn, trying to make Nixon stop. When the man refused to pull over he moved alongside. Nixon tried to run him off the road. Lex peered in, but couldn't see Clark. Taking a chance, he rammed the vehicle, wincing at the crunch. A Porsche might be fast, but it didn't stand up to impacts very well. But it had the desired effect and Nixon was run off the road._

_The reporter got out._

"_Are you insane?" he bellowed._

"_Where's Clark?" Lex shouted._

"_I don't know what you're talking about," Nixon shouted back. But Lex's ears had been alerted to the fact that someone was banging on the inside of the trunk._

"_Open it," he ordered._

_Nixon looked mutinous. He glanced toward the car door._

"_Don't even think it, Nixon," Lex told him. "Not if you don't want to add attempted murder to kidnapping. Now let him go."_

_Nixon backed up, turning as if to run. Lex ran after him. Nixon aimed a punch at him but Lex was too quick. Years of fencing and martial arts had given him quick reflexes and he avoided Nixon's fist easily, getting in one of his own. Nixon went down without a murmur. Lex ran back to the car and opened the trunk, pulling a very sick looking Clark out. He realised why when he saw the glowing green rocks._

_Once Clark and his parents had recovered, Clark had come to him and told him everything about his secret. Everything he knew. Lex had then offered to help him figure out the rest and the two of them had worked together, their friendship strengthening._

_But then Lionel had ordered Lex to Metropolis one evening for a dinner party. He'd later taken his son aside._

"_Your work in Smallville has been more than adequate," Lionel said. "But I notice you seem to have a preoccupation with a local farmboy."_

"_Clark is my friend."_

"_And this friendship is the reason the two of you are cloistered in your study for hours on end?"_

"_I'm helping Clark with a school project, that's all."_

"_So, nothing at all to do with the boy's unique abilities then?"_

_Lex clearly heard the veiled threat in his father's words. What he said next made it clear what he wanted._

"_I want you to come to work for me here. At Luthorcorp. You'll be special adviser to the chairman emeritus. That's me," he smirked. "And I'll ensure your young friend is never bothered, particularly by the likes of Roger Nixon."_

Lex made a tough decision that day. He'd chosen to walk away from his friendship and from Luthorcorp. To protect Clark.

Devoting himself to science, Lex had taken a job at a forensics lab, taking satisfaction in being able to give the victims of crime some peace. But that had been brought to a shattering halt when Lionel had intervened once again, still trying to get his son back in the family fold. One of his colleagues had been murdered and Lex was under suspicion. Lex had solved the case, clearing his own name, and that had brought him to the attention of the agency. They'd trained him, offering him a chance to clear the slate for good, and keep him protected from Lionel's machinations, and he'd begun working on missions all over the world. This was his first command.

As Lex came out of his reverie, he saw the others looking at him. They'd all helped themselves to coffee. Clark, of course, had brought pastries and Lois was partaking of the maple donuts. Lex had heard that these particular pastries were her favourites. The fact that Clark knew that was information Lex stored away in his subconscious. It wasn't that he didn't approve of office romances. It was just in his experience that they tended to distract the agents if things went sour.

Lex picked up the remote and opened the plasma screen, playing the recording another agent had taken of Kerridge.

"John Kerridge. A known arms dealer. We believe he may be trying to steal a prototype of a weapon currently under development by Luthorcorp. Our contacts at Luthorcorp tell us that two attempts have been made to steal the prototype already. And a third is planned. We're going to let that happen."

"Why? Exactly?" Oliver asked.

"Kerridge has always managed to slip under the radar of local law enforcement. We're here to make sure he doesn't slip under again. Which is why he needs to be caught with the prototype. Red-handed."

He touched a key on the keyboard which had been hidden in a recess on the table.

"Kerridge owns a nightclub here in Metropolis. It was once owned by Morgan Edge and Intergang. Called the Atlantis."

Lex didn't miss the sharp intake of breath from Clark. But he let it slide. He continued his monologue.

"Kerridge took the local dance spot and turned it into an exclusive club with class acts. He also uses it as his base of operations. Lois, you're going to go in under cover as a lounge singer."

"I'm not exactly a trained professional," Lois pointed out.

"Oh, I doubt that'll worry you," Clark drawled with a smirk.

Lois punched him in the shoulder. He didn't even have the grace to pretend that hurt. "Yeah, good one, Smallville. Your comic timing needs work."

Clark pouted, making a puppy dog look at her. Chloe coughed.

"Uh, I think Lex has something in mind. Or am I mistaken?" the blonde said, looking sharply at Lex.

"No, you're not. I believe you already have that covered, Ms Sullivan," Lex returned with a smile. He'd learned that Chloe had gone to school with Clark, but they'd never actually met. Lex had kept to himself in Smallville, rather than be known as the town pariah.

"We can program the sound board to make you sound like a pro, Lois," Chloe told her cousin. "They do it in movies all the time, although that's usually done in the editing. But he's not going to know the difference."

Lois nodded. "I trust you, Chlo."

"Lois," Lex continued, "I need you to gather as much information as you can before the rest of the team goes in. Oliver, you will be going in as a potential buyer, wanting to get a look at the merchandise. Clark, you will be his bodyguard. We can only guess, but I believe the sale will be a blind auction. Each bidder will be given an identity code and will enter their bid electronically using this code. No one will know what the other is bidding ahead of time. Chloe, your job is to block that sale."

"What about you, boss man?" Oliver said.

"In the last few years, I've been establishing a cover as a potential business rival for Luthorcorp, without using my own credentials. Lionel is aware of this, but thanks to the agency, his efforts to stop me have been blocked at every turn. I'm going in to offer Kerridge a partnership of sorts."

"Why would Kerridge be interested in something like that?"

"Because he has always wanted a chance to ruin Lionel. He once owned a small, weapons manufacturing business. Rumour has it he was working on a prototype of a weapon the US government was very interested in. And Lionel stole the plans to the prototype." Lex raised the laser pointer. "This prototype. Kerridge lost the potential government contract and the lucrative deal. It ruined his business and he blamed Lionel for it."

"How long before you expect the bidding war to begin?" Oliver asked.

"My source tells me that Kerridge plans to make another attempt on the prototype in two days. We've instructed our people in Luthorcorp to allow it to succeed. I expect Kerridge will start bringing in potential buyers a day or so later." He nodded at Lois. "You're going in tonight. Chloe, you'll go with her."

Chloe was also going to be planting transmitters so they would be privy to every conversation in the club.

Clark glanced at Lex as he finished the briefing. The bald man hadn't changed much in the nine years since they'd seen each other. A little older, perhaps. Certainly a lot wiser. He hung back as the briefing ended and the others made their way out of the penthouse. Lois glanced at him and he nodded. He needed to talk to Lex and she understood that.

Clark had fond memories of that year of friendship. He'd understood why Lex had chosen to isolate himself from the rest of the town. The name Luthor was popular in Smallville, and not in a good way. Especially after Lionel had coerced one of the town's leading families into selling their creamed corn factory. He'd then turned it into a fertiliser plant and for twelve years it had been blamed for all the problems in the town. Deformed stock, mysterious illnesses and abilities. Of course, no one really knew that it had been the meteors that had struck Smallville at the same time Lionel had been buying the creamed corn factory.

When Lex had saved him from Roger Nixon, who had seen a golden goose when he'd realised Clark's uniqueness, Clark had only been too willing to accept Lex's help in researching his origins. He'd been devastated when Lex had walked away from it all.

Lionel had, clearly in revenge for Lex's defection, shut down the fertiliser plant. With two and a half thousand people now out of work, it had devastated the town. And the local farmers. Forced into bankruptcy, the Kents had had no choice but to move to the city where Martha had got a job as a law clerk in her father's firm. Clark had spent his last three years of high school attending Metropolis High. Chloe, whose father had also managed to get a job in the city, had joined him. As had her cousin Lois in their senior year.

Clark hadn't kept up with Lex's exploits over the years. He'd lost track of Lex after an incident at the forensics lab where Lex had once worked. With the usual teenage problems, coupled with his abilities, Clark had had his own issues to deal with. Late in his second year of high school, plagued with feelings of loneliness and alienation, Clark had found a school ring which had belonged to Chloe. While still at Smallville High, Chloe had learned that students had been ripped off when they'd purchased class rings. Told they were rubies, she'd discovered it was in fact a red meteor rock. And that rock had had interesting side effects for Clark.

In a rare fit of rebellion, Clark had started sneaking out of his parents' house at night, going to a club in the heart of the city. He'd taken to stealing to get what he wanted, which was drink and drugs. But none of it had had any effect on him and he'd quickly become bored. When his parents had learned what was behind it, they'd destroyed the ring.

A year after graduation, Chloe had met Jimmy while interning at the Daily Planet and fallen hard. Within a year she was married. But a paramedic she had met while out on a story had become obsessed with her and tried to destroy her marriage. When that hadn't worked, he'd murdered Jimmy in a jealous rage. Clark had helped Chloe go after the paramedic and together they'd proved his guilt.

Lois, meanwhile, had also discovered a liking for journalism. Together, the three of them began working on a story which would expose Lionel Luthor as a murderer. Clark had come across that knowledge when he'd been working through his 'rebellious phase' at the Atlantis, having overheard a conversation between Lionel and Morgan Edge. Determined to take Lionel down a peg or two, Lois had taken up the crusade when Chloe got married and had been close to a breakthrough when Perry White had come on the scene. They decided to work with Perry, with devastating results. While they couldn't prove it, since Perry was a recovering alcoholic, they knew Lionel had been responsible for the car crash which had killed Perry, although the police wrote it off as a DUI. Lois' career was as good as dead.

_It was then they'd been approached by the agency. They'd each received a mysterious text message to meet in an abandoned warehouse. Suspicious, the trio decided they would check it out, but together._

_Clark had gone ahead, x-raying the building. He'd informed the girls there were four men, all armed. But there didn't appear to be any Kryptonite. It was as they were deciding what to do that Clark's phone rang._

"_Good morning, Mr Kent. I trust you have already surveyed the building and are aware that there are four of us inside, all armed. I assure you that no harm will come to you, or your two friends. We have a proposition for you, so if the three of you would care to step inside, we will discuss the matter."_

_Clark stared at his phone, then at the two girls._

"_What did he say, Smallville?" She still persisted in calling him that even though he'd lived in Metropolis for six years._

"_He said no harm would come to us and he has a proposition for us."_

"_Yeah, right, I'll believe that," Chloe said, rolling her eyes._

"_I think we should check it out. He doesn't sound like someone who likes to be kept waiting."_

"_Fine, Kent. But if we get killed, I'm coming back to haunt your ass."_

"_Same here, Smallville."_

_They went inside and were surprised to see all four men relaxing._

"_Who exactly are you?" Clark asked._

"_We work for the government, Mr Kent, and we know about your abilities. In fact, we've been watching the three of you for some time."_

_Clark stiffened. The man, who was obviously the head of the group, held up his hands. "Relax, Mr Kent. We're here for one very specific reason. We're recruiting."_

"_For what, exactly?" Chloe asked._

"_The three of you each have unique abilities which we believe will be an asset to our team."_

"_Are you Feds?" Lois asked, her military upbringing making her cynical of anything remotely resembling law enforcement._

"_Not exactly. Let's just say that we have a specific mission statement. And we have a wider jurisdiction than the FBI."_

"_How wide?" Chloe asked._

"_International. And before you ask, we're not CIA. Not even close. Our people specialise in what we call impossible missions. And that's where the three of you come in."_

_Kittredge, as he introduced himself, went on to explain. Intrigued, Clark, Lois and Chloe decided to hear him out. Impressed with what they heard, they chose to sign up. For most of the missions, the trio were allowed to work together. But there were times when they had to split up, lending their talents to other missions. _

_Now, they had been assigned permanently as a team with Oliver Queen. And their team leader was none other than Clark's former friend, Lex Luthor._

Clark looked at Lex now. Lex looked away from him for a moment.

"I know what you're going to ask, Clark. Why. Why did I leave Smallville so suddenly? Why did I end the friendship so abruptly? I had my reasons."

"I'd like to hear them," Clark said.

"I'm just going to have to ask you to trust me on this, Clark," Lex said. "But it was for your protection."

"My protection? Lionel closed the plant. He decimated the town."

"I know, and I am truly sorry that that happened. But he gave me a choice, Clark. He told me if I went to work for him permanently, he would leave you and your family alone. He knew about you. Maybe not the specifics, but he knew there was something different about you. I made the only choice I could."

"By walking away? You could have fought him."

"And I might have lost your friendship anyway. Clark, I made the difficult choice of walking away, not only from the best friend I've ever known, but also from my father. He disinherited me. I knew if I gave in to him, I would become him. And if there is one thing that my friendship with you taught me, it's that I'm a better person than that."

Lex looked at him, his blue-grey eyes sincere. "I hope that even if we could never regain that friendship, you can at least accept my reasons and work with me. I know how good you are, Clark. You're the very best at what you do. You, Chloe, and Lois. You all have a reputation for excellence. And I need that on my team. So I need to know. Can you do that? Can you let the past go?"

"I can be professional, Lex."

Reassured, Lex nodded. "Thank you, Clark." It didn't say much, but it was enough.


	3. Chapter 2: The setup

Chapter Two

Clark joined the others waiting for him at Chloe's apartment, a block from the penthouse apartment.

"What happened, Smallville?"

"We talked," Clark shrugged at Lois. "That's all."

"Did he say why he left Smallville so suddenly?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah. It was to protect me, apparently."

Oliver sighed. "Well, I hate to say it, but he's changed a lot since I knew him. And from what I've heard from the bosses, he's damn good at what he does."

"Which he says about the rest of us," Clark told him. "How did you know him?"

"We both went to Excelsior Prep." Oliver had the grace to look shamefaced. "You could say I was the school bully. I tormented him, and a friend of his."

_It had been more than that, Oliver told them. There'd been a small gang of them. Himself, Geoffrey and Alden. They had all taken a dislike to the odd young heir to the Luthor billions. Back in 1996, when Oliver was sixteen, they'd been hanging out in the grounds when they'd seen Lex and his friend, Duncan Allenmeyer arguing good-naturedly as they walked along the pathway._

"_Why are Warrior Angel and Black Diamond fighting?" Duncan was saying. "I mean, they're friends. It doesn't make any sense."_

_Oliver had rolled his eyes, watching. Lex and his stupid comic books. The kid was always walking around school with one in his hand._

"_Didn't you read issue 126?" Lex asked his friend._

_Duncan was a slight boy, with black hair, about the same height as Lex. He was only at Excelsior thanks to a scholarship. _

"_Nah, I didn't have any money that week. Why? What happened?"_

"_Okay, so you know how Black Diamond's father is this supervillain, right? Well, in 126 he busts out of jail, and Warrior Angel has to take him down. But there's this accident, and the guy dies. And ..."_

_Oliver chose that moment to snatch the comic out of Lex's hands._

"_Look who it is boys," he said, grinning at his cohorts. They laughed. "Weirdo Angel and his trusty sidekick, Grease Spot."_

"_Yeah Grease Spot," Alden chuckled. "I like that."_

_Lex looked up at Oliver, his eyes huge, even under the cap he wore. "Give it back, Ollie."_

_Oliver had always liked to push the other students around. There might only be a few months between them, but Lex was not as tall as him._

"_That's Mr Queen to you, little man," he said, glaring back at Lex._

_Lex narrowed his eyes, until Duncan turned to him. "It's okay, Lex. I'll just get another one." Lex glanced at him as Alden snickered._

"_Yeah, Duncan will just get another one. Oh, oh wait, he can't."_

"_Oh yeah, that's right," Geoffrey sneered. "His mommy doesn't have any money. That's why he's on scholarship."_

_Lex turned his glare on the other two idiots. "Shut up Geoffrey. Shut up Alden." He looked at Oliver. "Give it back. Mr ... Queen."_

_Oliver stared back at him for a moment, his lips curled in a half smile. "Sure," he shrugged. "You know what? Let's make this a two-parter," he said, ripping the comic in half. Lex tried to stop him._

"_Don't!"_

_Alden grabbed him before he could get to Oliver and shoved him backwards so he fell to the ground, his cap falling off. The boys surrounding them grinned and laughed at Lex, who put a hand to his bald head._

"_Nice haircut, cue ball," Alden sneered._

_Duncan helped Lex to his feet and Lex quickly put the cap on. _

"_Come on," Oliver said, with a casual slap to Geoffrey's arm. "These girls aren't even worth it."_

"_Loser," Alden said as he passed the two._

_The worst of the trouble came when Oliver and his two friends decided to swipe the answers to a mid-term. Lex and Duncan had seen them. Lex had gone to Oliver, telling him what he'd seen._

"_So what?" he said. "What are you going to do about it freak?" Oliver said._

"_Well that all depends on you, Ollie," Lex said. "Because if I go to Reynolds, you and your two jerk friends are out of here."_

_Oliver moved closer to Lex, trying to intimidate him. But Lex had one on him and he knew that. _

"_And if you don't?"_

"_You leave me and Duncan alone. We don't have to pretend to be friends or anything like that. You just leave us alone."_

"_You sure you can handle Allenmeyer?"_

"_I'll take care of it."_

_But Duncan had clearly decided to go to the headmaster. Oliver, Alden and Geoffrey confronted them in the quad, just as Lex and Duncan were arguing._

"_You don't pretend to be friends with somebody, Lex. You either are or you aren't. I'm gonna turn them in."_

_Duncan turned to see the three boys standing, watching._

"_I thought you said you were gonna handle this," Oliver accused Lex._

_Duncan whirled on Lex. "You told them?"_

_Lex crossed Duncan's sight, going to stand with the others. "This is our chance, Duncan. We don't have to be on the outside anymore."_

_Duncan looked stunned. "I – I never felt that way, not when you were my friend."_

_Oliver just continued to watch as the two boys argued. But to his shock, Lex turned on the boy who had been his only friend. He tried to stop the boy, hopefully to talk some sense into him. But as Lex tried to pull him away, Duncan shoved him. Lex, angered, shoved back, throwing Duncan into a tree. He then rounded on the boy, pounding on him, fists flying._

_Oliver tried to intervene, while Alden, idiot that he was, cheered Lex on. Lex continued to hit the other boy until Oliver pulled him off. Duncan got up, screaming at him, somehow ending up in the road. Before the others could do anything, a car speeding past hit Duncan. And he was gone!_

"God, that's awful!"

"Duncan suffered massive brain injuries," Oliver sighed, his expression still full of the horror he'd witnessed. "My life pretty much went to crap after that. The Headmaster nearly expelled us all. It was only through Lionel's intervention that we managed to stay in school. But I started drinking, getting up to all sorts of mischief. Then one day I decided to hold a party on my parents' yacht. It was taken over by drug smugglers mid-ocean and they wrecked us. I was the only survivor."

"What happened?"

"I ended up on an island. Ironically it was not far from where my parents were killed in a plane crash. I found their bodies washed up on the shore. Well, their bones, anyway. And papers to prove who they were. I spent two years on that island. That's where I honed my skills in archery."

"That's how you became a world champion?" Chloe asked. "You could have gone to the Olympics if you'd wanted to."

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, but I chose to use it for something else. I discovered that several valuable pieces of jewellery were being stolen, then sold on the black market. I went after the buyers, and used them to track down the thief."

"That's when you came to the attention of the agency?" Clark asked.

"Yeah."

"Is working with Lex going to be a problem?" Chloe asked.

He shook his head. "No. Whoever Lex was back in the days of Excelsior, he's different now. I get a feeling he has you to thank for that, Clark," Oliver said, looking at Clark.

"Maybe."

Chloe glanced at her watch, then rose. "Lois, we need to get ready if we're going to the club."

Lois nodded. "Let's do it, cuz."

Oliver watched the two girls go as they disappeared into Chloe's bedroom. Oliver had a small smirk on his face as he turned back to Clark.

"You and Lois seem pretty tight."

"We work together a lot. It happens."

"You're not dating?" Oliver seemed surprised.

"I didn't say that," Clark said, noncommittally.

"So you are dating," Oliver said, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that either," Clark returned with a mischievous smile. Oliver grinned. Looked like it was a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.

Chloe and Lois were ready in an hour. Lois came out of the bedroom carrying a make-up kit and garment bag. Clark stood up and went to her.

"Be careful. From what Lex says, Kerridge isn't a nice guy."

"We can handle ourselves, Smallville."

"I'm just saying, Lois."

Lois playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Don't even pretend that hurt, Smallville," she said. Chloe grinned at him and followed her cousin out the door.

Clark looked at Oliver and shrugged and smiled. They followed the girls out but wouldn't be going to the club with them. Their part of the plan was yet to begin.

The girls caught a cab to the Atlantis, going in the back entrance, only to be stopped by a huge beefy guy. Chloe smiled at him, showing her identification.

"I'm Jill, this is Lola." The man looked puzzled. "Your new entertainer?" Chloe reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. What are you, her manager?"

"Something like that."

"Hope you can sing," the bouncer said to Lois. "Last girl they got here, didn't even last five minutes on that stage."

Lois smiled, looking to Chloe as if she wanted to kick the guy in the groin. "Well, don't worry," she said. "I plan to set 'em up and knock 'em down."

Chloe and Lois made their way to the dressing room. Chloe glanced at her watch. "We've got an hour. I'll leave you to get dressed and go set up."

Lois nodded, putting her make up kit on the counter.

"Don't worry about me, Chlo. I know my part."

"Good."

Chloe went out, taking her equipment bag, including her laptop. She looked around the stage area and found the outlets she needed, setting up quickly. One of Kerridge's people approached her.

"What's all that for?" he asked.

"I'm testing the acoustics," Chloe told him, tapping a few keys on the laptop. "Lola is very particular."

"I see. And what exactly is it you do for her?"

"You could say I'm her manager." She smiled brightly at the man. "Jill," she said.

"Frank," he smiled back, already captivated by her smile.

"You want to show me the board, Frank?" Chloe asked him.

"Oh, for the mixer? You bet."

Chloe followed him as he made his way backstage. There were synthesizers, sound mixers and amplifiers of all kinds. Chloe nodded her thanks and began hooking up a second laptop to the mixer. It would ensure that even if Lois' voice wasn't pitch perfect, the mixer would back her up and make her sound as if she'd been singing her entire life. It wasn't that Lois couldn't sing. She could hold her own in a karaoke contest. But professionally was another matter.

She went back to the dressing room as soon as she'd set up. Lois turned and looked at her.

"Almost showtime," Chloe told her. She looked her cousin over. Lois was wearing a cream cocktail gown with gold sequinned detail. The gown was long-sleeved, with a neckline that showed just enough cleavage to be sensual rather than sexy, and the long skirt clung to her curves. Lois' long hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and secured with a jewelled clip.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"You'll knock 'em dead," Chloe told her.

There was a sharp tap on the door. "Five minutes Miss Dayne."

Lois nodded at Chloe. "Let's get this show on the road. You all set up?"

Chloe returned the nod. "They won't know the difference."

The cousins separated once Lois made her way to the stage. The laptop was timed to activate remotely. Chloe had the remote in her hand. As Lois waited for her cue, Chloe made her way to the bar, watching the people at the tables. Right in front, facing centre stage, was Kerridge.

Everything was in place, she decided. The spotlight was on the stage, falling on the woman at centre. Chloe could see Lois taking a breath, and she pressed the remote.

_**How glad a million laddies  
>From millionaires to caddies<br>Would be  
>To capture me<strong>_

_**But you had such persistence  
>You wore down my resistance<br>I fell  
>And it was swell<strong>_

_**You're my big and brave  
>And handsome Romeo<br>How I won you  
>I shall never never know<strong>_

_**It's not that you're attractive  
>But oh my heart grew active<br>When you  
>Came into view<strong>_

Lois began swaying her hips in time to the music, running her hands sensuously all down her body. Chloe noticed that every man in the room had their eyes on the gorgeous woman on the stage. It gave her plenty of opportunity to move around the room unnoticed and begin planting the transmitters.

_**I've got a crush on you  
>Sweetie pie<br>All the day and night time  
>Hear me sigh<strong>_

_**I never had the least notion  
>That I could fall with<br>So much emotion**_

_**Could you coo  
>Could you care<br>For a cunning cottage  
>We could share<strong>_

_**The world will pardon my mush  
>Cause<br>I have got a crush  
>My baby on you<strong>_

Meanwhile, as Lois sang and swayed on stage, a tiny camera in a pin on her dress recorded everything it saw in the club and transmitted it back to the penthouse where Clark, Oliver and Lex sat, monitoring.

"She's good," Oliver observed. "She knows exactly what she's doing."

"Which one? Chloe or Lois?" Clark muttered.

"Chloe," Oliver said.

"Years of practice," Clark told them, noticing Lex seemed a little taken aback by Oliver's interest in Chloe. "She always had a way of getting stories for the paper without being conspicuous."

Lex heard the note of pride in Clark's voice and glanced at him.

"You care about her?"

"We've been best friends since eighth grade, Lex. Of course I care about Chloe."

The three men watched Kerridge. He seemed to be very taken with Lois.

"It's safe to say the first phase of the plan is a success," Oliver said. "Kerridge seems to like what he sees."

"Good," Lex answered. "The girls are in place. Now the rest is up to us."

As they watched, Kerridge was approached by one of his people. The man whispered in Kerridge's ear and nodded at Chloe. Lex picked up the remote and pressed a key. The sound of Lois' singing was muted. Kerridge stood up and smiled at Chloe.

"Your girl is everything your company said she is," Kerridge told Chloe. "I believe you're her manager."

"Among other things," Chloe smiled.

Lois was belting out another number as Chloe sat with the club owner.

"Tell me, how did your company find her? She's quite a looker."

Clark seemed to bristle visibly at that. Lex stored another bit of information away. It was now becoming more obvious that Clark and Lois had more than a professional relationship.

Chloe continued to talk while Lois entertained the crowd. And judging from the reaction of those assembled, she was doing a fine job. When Lois took a break, Chloe went with her, but she left behind another transmitter.

"When do we get the prototype, boss?" Kerridge's companion asked finally.

"Record this," Lex said.

He got up, going to the wet bar to get himself a bottle of Ty Nant. He looked at Clark.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" he asked.

Clark shrugged, then got up. "Sure Lex. What is it?"

Lex leaned against the wet bar. "Look, I can't help but notice a few things. About you and Lois."

"Lex, we are totally professional."

"But you are dating?" Lex asked.

"Not exactly," Clark told him, looking a little sheepish. "We're married."

Lex stared at him, stunned. "That wasn't in the briefing."

"The agency knows about it," Clark said. "They didn't exactly approve, but it happens," he said with a shrug. "Like I said, Lois and I can be totally professional. It's not like we broadcast it."

"But it bothers you when she has unwanted male attention."

"Just like it bothers her when I have the same thing. It goes with the job. And Lois can take care of herself. When she can't, she has me to back her up."

Lex nodded. "Well, thanks for the information. I am a little surprised that you kept this from me, but then again, I suppose you do it for her protection as well as yours."

"You have no idea how complicated it can get, Lex. And not everyone is as observant as you. We try not to be so obvious about it when we're working."

"That's good to hear," Lex told him. He offered Clark a bottle of Ty Nant, and another to Oliver. "We should get back to work."


	4. Chapter 3: The Actor

Chapter Three

Lois stood with Chloe on the curtained stage, pretending to rehearse.

"Right, give me the first verse," Chloe told her, tapping a few keys on her computer.

"_**The very thought of you  
>I forget to do<br>Those little ordinary things  
>That everyone ought to do<strong>_

Chloe nodded. "That's good. Now we'll play it back."

Lois pressed the headset to her ear, listening to the playback. Chloe watched her cousin as Lois listened, nodding her head in time to the music.

"Wow!" Lois said. "That sounds great."

Chloe glanced into the monitor of the second computer she'd set up. The miniature camera she'd planted near the bar had registered motion.

"Keep working," she whispered. She tapped the earpiece in her ear. "Heads up guys."

Back at Lex's penthouse, Lex opened up the hidden panel in the coffee table and revealed the keyboard. He tapped a few keys. Kerridge was speaking to someone just out of view of the camera.

"My guy at Luthorcorp says the guard changes at ten. That gives you ten minutes to get in there and get the prototype. No mistakes. I've got a few potential buyers lined up."

Clark came in, going to the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He glanced at Lex.

"Ten tonight? That's when they're going in?"

Lex nodded. "I don't recognise the voice and the guy's out of camera shot." He tapped his own communicator. "Chloe, can you get us a better angle?"

"Negative," Chloe said.

Lois, meanwhile, was adjusting the microscopic camera on her pin. "Let me," she said.

They watched as the camera moved, knowing Lois was walking out to the bar.

"Rehearsing?" Kerridge asked.

"Thirsty work," Lois said. She stood, leaning against the bar as she helped herself to mineral water, giving the watchers a perfect angle of the man set to break in to Luthorcorp that night. He was short in stature, not even as tall as Lois, wiry, with thinning blonde hair.

Lex had made sure that their insider at Luthorcorp knew what was happening tonight. Now they could identify the man being sent to break in to the labs and steal the prototype.

He noticed Clark looking decidedly uncomfortable next to him. He could see Kerridge giving Lois the once-over, his gaze less flirtatious than leering. While Clark knew it was part of the job, it obviously didn't stop him wanting to crush anyone who looked at his wife that way.

The last Lex had heard, Clark had still been lusting after Lana Lang. He'd done a little research on the pretty brunette. Like Chloe, he hadn't had a lot to do with Clark's friends. He'd met Lana once or twice when she'd been in the stables, but they had had little to do with each other.

Lana had moved with her aunt to Metropolis after Nell Potter had met and married an insurance broker. Since Nell had sold some property to Lionel long before Lex had been exiled to Smallville, she had taken the money and invested it wisely. She'd then sold the building which had housed the old movie theatre, as well as her own flower shop, and it had been turned into a parking garage.

When the closure of the plant had forced a lot of farmers out of town, the main street of Smallville had become practically a ghost town. Lionel had used that to his advantage, turning the town into just another Luthorcorp office park.

"So, tell me, Clark, how did you and Lois ...?"

"How did we get together?"

"When we were in Smallville, you had a crush on Lana Lang, if I recall."

Clark nodded, sipping his coffee.

"I was fourteen, Lex. It was a schoolboy crush."

"One you'd had from first grade," Lex reminded him.

Clark grinned. "Yeah. Amazing how things can change. Lana went to private school when Nell moved to Metropolis, so we didn't see each other. We'd email occasionally, but, I don't know, I guess in this case, absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder. We're still friends, but we're not as close as we once were."

"And Lois?"

"Heh, Lois has been bossing me around since senior year. She was supposed to have gone to Met U, but she didn't have enough points to graduate high school, so she ended up repeating her senior year with us. And let me tell you, when she and Chloe get together, it's like the rest of the world doesn't exist."

"So what happened?"

"Well, we drove each other crazy for a couple of years. Then Chloe began interning at the Daily Planet. She and Lois started working together on the story on Lionel. Well, Chloe had always been interested in digging up Lionel's past, and well, I heard a few things."

"Your little rebellion?" Lex asked. Their superiors in the agency had already briefed him on how Clark had learned about Lionel's past.

Clark nodded. "Anyway, Chloe convinced me to help them and, well, by then both Lois and Chloe knew about my powers, and, I don't know, I guess when you work closely with someone you start to learn more about them and respect them. And Lois has never treated me any differently even though she knows about my powers. She doesn't care. They're a part of me, but they don't define me."

"When did you two ...?"

"We got married a year ago."

"I see. What happens if you have children?" Lex asked.

Clark sighed. "It's not going to happen. Jor-El – that's my birth father – says that my physiology isn't compatible with a human's. At least, not enough to have a child with them." He shrugged. "I guess eventually we'll consider adopting. I mean, the Kents adopted me and that didn't turn out so bad."

"I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't know."

How devastating must that be, Lex thought, to know that you're the only one of your kind and that there's never going to be another one like you.

"I have a cousin," Clark told him, with what seemed like an uncanny ability to understand what he was thinking. "Kara. She left Krypton the same time I did and was placed in suspended animation. Her ship crashed in the river in Smallville and was buried in mud for eighteen years."

"What?" Lex was shocked. "How did you find her?"

"There was a flood and it became dislodged. When she woke up, she still thought I would be a young child and she went looking for me at all the preschools. Anyway, Lois was working on a story about the ship – she was still working at the Daily Planet then, and she called me because she recognised the markings on the ship. Long story short, we heard about Kara going to those preschools and tracked her down."

"Where is she now? Your cousin?"

"She's in California. When she's not under cover, she's out there helping people."

"Wait! Your cousin is Supergirl?" Lex said, suddenly understanding. Knowing Clark's abilities, he'd wondered when he'd heard about the blonde girl who could fly, whether she was related to Clark. She had come to the attention of the media after she'd prevented a disaster when a train had derailed after an earthquake and nearly tipped over.

Clark nodded. "That's her."

"So, you mentioned Krypton? I don't think we ever really learned where you were from in our research," Lex prompted.

"No. But thanks to the octagonal disk Dr Hamilton found, we got a lot further in the research. It was a key," he told Lex. "To the ship."

Lex remembered that. Seeing the little pod which had brought his friend to Earth had been a revelation. He'd very quickly noticed the little indentation in the smooth metal and had surmised to Clark that there had clearly been something missing. He'd then approached Steven Hamilton, who had been dismissed by most of Smallville as a kook for his interest in meteor rocks, to search the field where Clark had landed. He hadn't told the doctor what it was for and as soon as the disk had been found, he'd given it to Clark.

It had been shortly after that that Lex had been summoned to Metropolis by his father. And he'd left Smallville for good.

"I heard Dr Hamilton died from mineral poisoning," Clark said.

"Yeah."

Lex glanced at his watch. It was quarter after six. "I should get ready. I have my own part to play."

"Need any help with the prep?" Clark asked.

"Thanks, but I've become fairly adept at this."

Clark watched as Lex opened up a silver briefcase with a compartment holding what looked like cosmetics. He took a small face wipe and a bottle and began cleaning his face and bald scalp with it. Another compartment revealed a latex mask, already prepared, cased in dry ice to keep it cool. Lex applied cosmetic glue in selected spots over his face, then put the mask on, fitting it to his face. A dark blonde wig came next.

"That's the good thing about being bald," Lex grinned, turning to Clark, and it seemed odd to hear Lex's smooth tones coming from a different face. "Don't have to worry about a wig not sticking."

Clark grinned back, watching as Lex applied subtle make-up, smoothing the lines of the latex so they didn't show, then pressed a micro-dot just below his Adam's apple. The dot was flesh-coloured and would be hidden by Lex's clothing.

"How do I look?" Lex asked, his voice now a rough, deep timbre.

"Your own father wouldn't recognise you," Clark smiled.

Lex stood up, going to his room to change his clothes. He emerged wearing a charcoal grey silk shirt. He was doing up the top button and adjusting a black tie.

"Wish me luck," he told Clark.

Lex arrived at the club at seven-thirty. Lois was due to appear on stage for her second show in a few minutes. Sitting down at the bar, he ordered a scotch and soda. It was a common enough drink that Kerridge would never have connected it with Lex Luthor.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" the barman asked respectfully. Lex looked like money. He was dressed like money.

"I have a meeting with Mr Kerridge," Lex said coolly. "Could you point him out to me?"

"Mr Kerridge is in his office," the barman said. "Your name?"

"Thornton," Lex said. "Dan Thornton."

The barman nodded and picked up a small handset, speaking into it.

"Mr Thornton is here." He listened, then nodded. "Yes sir." He put down the handset and beckoned to one of the waitresses. "Show Mr Kerridge's guest to his table," he told the girl. She smiled and nodded and gestured for Lex to follow her.

"Enjoy the show, sir," the barman said as Lex stood. "The singer here's a class act."

"I don't doubt it," Lex murmured, following the waitress to the table he'd seen Kerridge sitting at the night before.

He just had time to finish his drink and order another before the spotlight fell on the stage. He glanced casually over to the other side of the club, noticing Chloe, who nodded briefly. The curtain opened and the first notes of the piano began playing.

_**You don't own me  
>I'm not just one of your many toys<br>You don't own me  
>Don't say I can't go with other boys<strong>_

Lois had chosen a number that had been a pop hit in the sixties. But the riff she'd chosen was jazzy and sultry. Her voice was husky. Lex studied her. She was wearing a red dress that oozed sexuality. Damn, he thought. She is one exceptionally beautiful woman. Clark was a very lucky man.

"Very beautiful, isn't she?"

Lex glanced up at Kerridge. "Exceedingly. Quite talented too, I must say."

The man sat beside him. "I am John Kerridge."

"Thornton," Lex said, holding out his hand.

"I believe you have a business proposition for me."

"Let's just say that I have a great deal of interest in taking Lionel Luthor down a peg or two. The lion has had his day. Now his time has come."

"Giving an opportunity for a newer, younger lion to take his place? A bold statement, Mr Thornton. But I have to ask. Why me?"

Lex leaned forward. "I believe together you and I would be a powerful force, Mr Kerridge. Together we could bring Lionel Luthor and this city to its knees."

"And what makes you think I'd be interested?"

But Lex could already see that Kerridge was interested.

"Because you have a grudge against Lionel Luthor. I know he tried to destroy you."

"Yet I know almost nothing about you."

Lex leaned back, smirking. "Let's just say that Lionel and I go way back. I know about his humble beginnings and what he did several years ago to try to cover up that fact."

"Then you have me at a disadvantage," Kerridge told him. "But I'm interested."

Lex began to outline a plan that he knew would never happen. Appealing not only to Kerridge's greed, but also to his desire to become a legitimate operation. It would take money. Funds that Kerridge didn't have at that point in time. But if he sold the prototype, he stood to make millions. As long as Oliver did his part as the 'buyer', the group could ruin Kerridge and take him out of business for good.

Oliver, watching from the penthouse, whistled.

"Damn, he's good! Even I'd believe him."

"I know what you mean," Clark said quietly. He'd always known that Lex had a streak of ruthlessness in him. It was even more apparent as he watched Lex talk with Kerridge. Lex could have been an actor. That was how good he was.


	5. Chapter 4: The Player

Chapter Four

As Lex was leaving, he bumped into Chloe. Since Chloe hadn't seen him in his disguise, she didn't recognise him and sent him a curious look. He continued to look her up and down, smiling gently, as he steadied her.

"Okay, miss?" he asked.

"Fine. Thank you."

He almost wished he hadn't isolated himself so much in Smallville. He was sure that he would have liked the feisty blonde if they'd spent any time together. She really was very beautiful. Her cousin was attractive too, but in a different way. Chloe had a beauty that was very unique, and definitely all her own. And Lex had always been attracted to women with above average intelligence.

He knew that if Chloe had been given the opportunity, she would have gone to the likes of M.I.T or joined Mensa. She was highly observant, quick on her feet, and a very skilled hacker. Lex allowed himself an indulgent smile. Chloe would have had a very bright future as a criminal mastermind, if she'd decided to follow that path. The agency was extremely fortunate to have her.

Lex glanced at his watch as he got into the cab. Nine forty-five. Which gave him fifteen minutes to return to the penthouse and wait for the fireworks at Luthorcorp to begin. He touched the communicator in his ear, glancing up once at the cab driver through the security grille separating driver and passenger. The man was concentrating on his driving.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he told Clark. There was no reply, but he wasn't expecting one.

As soon as he entered the penthouse, Lex stripped off the face mask. Being in disguise was fun, but so draining on the body. His skin felt hot and a fine sheen of perspiration showed on his face as he used cold cream to clean the glue off his face. Another good thing about being totally hairless, he decided with a grin, was that there were no tiny hairs to stick to.

By the time he was done cleaning up and changed his clothes, Lois and Chloe were back from the club. Chloe was already at the computer, busily working, hacking into the Luthorcorp security system.

Clark handed Lex a bottle of TyNant.

"Our insider spotted Kerridge's man a couple of minutes ago. Chloe's breaking in to the system now. It should only take a few minutes."

"Good," Lex nodded. Lois had changed into casual pants and sweater. She came up to pour herself a glass of water. He looked her over. "You looked great out there."

"Sounded good too, thanks to Chloe. Nice disguise, by the way. Chloe didn't even recognise you."

"That was the idea," Lex smirked. He ambled over to sit beside Chloe, watching as she typed furiously. He could see the coding on the screen.

"Almost done," she said. Then she tapped the enter key. "And we're there."

The image on the big screen changed, showing the monitors from Luthorcorp security. As they all watched, the same man who had been in the club earlier walked past the monitors of level ten, dressed in a maintenance uniform. He was accompanied by another man, pushing a cleaning cart in front of him. They looked as if they belonged there.

The first man took a security card, attached to his belt with a long piece of thin elastic, and used it to unlock one of the doors of the lab. The men entered, taking the cart with them. Five minutes later they came out, still with the cart, and returned the way they had come.

"They've got the prototype," Oliver said.

"Excellent," Lex said. It was all starting to come together.

Since Oliver had already set himself up as one of the potential buyers, it would only be a matter of hours before he would be contacted by Kerridge with news of the auction. It was just a matter of waiting.

The email came two hours later. Oliver and Clark would go to Atlantis that evening to meet with Kerridge. How many other buyers there were was not disclosed, but the group didn't expect there to be.

Lex was also called in as Thornton. Since there was to be a 'partnership' of some sort, Kerridge was obviously trying to gauge Lex's interest in the sale. Each of the men prepared for the evening, changing their clothes at Lex's penthouse.

Clark, since he was pretending to be Oliver's bodyguard, was dressed in black. Black silk shirt, black wool trousers. The colour and style had a way of making him appear almost menacing. To outsiders. The rest grinned as Lois stood in front of him, adjusting his shirt collar.

"Geez, Smallville, where were you raised? In a barn? Honestly! Guess you can take the boy out of Smallville ..." She chuckled.

"I can dress myself, Lois," he protested.

Both Lex and Oliver hid snorts of laughter behind their hands. Oliver had been told the truth of Clark and Lois' marriage. Not a state he would have preferred to find himself in – for the moment at least. Oliver had a reputation as something of a playboy, or as Chloe would put it, horndog. And he liked it that way.

"Don't screw this up, Smallville," Lois told him before she and Chloe left for the club.

"As if I would," he smirked.

"Stranger things have happened," she grinned at him, giving him a quick kiss.

"Come on Lo," Chloe said. Lois turned to leave, but not before Clark grabbed her hand and pulled her back, kissing her deeply. Both Lex and Oliver turned away, hiding grins. It looked to both of them like Clark gave as good as he got.

Oliver had dressed in a blazer, white shirt and designer jeans. The proverbial rich kid out for kicks. But his 'playboy' appearance was meant to be a disguise. Chloe had ensured that his reputation appeared to be a facade, and that Oliver, or as his new identity suggested, Ethan Thomas, was really a mercenary who had made himself very wealthy selling his services to the highest bidder. His role in tonight's meeting was as buyer representing a militant group based in the mid-West.

Lex was left in the penthouse to ensure all monitoring equipment was set up. As team leader, he took his responsibilities very seriously and performed all the final checks himself. Once he was satisfied everything was in place, he set out for the club.

Clark entered the club first, his eyes wary as he looked around, then waited for Oliver to enter. He gave the impression of a man who performed his job as bodyguard well, and left those watching in no doubt of his position. He followed Oliver to the bar.

There were at least six other men in the club, all of whom were potential buyers. Only one of them was recognisable. Clark knew of him, having seen his dossier. Cole Pritchard. If he was here, then it was likely that a group from the Middle East had a very serious interest in the prototype. Cole was known to work with terrorist groups, with links even to Al Qaeda. He was one to watch as it was well known the groups seemed to have unlimited financial resources.

Clark caught a glimpse of Chloe, who pretended to be doing sound checks on the stage. But he knew she would be taking still shots of every man in the room. Now if only they could catch all the men red-handed. But their target was Kerridge and he had to remember that.

And speak of the devil, he thought as Kerridge strode confidently into the room. Oliver looked up at Clark's low cough. He'd been nursing a glass of scotch, sipping it slowly, knowing they needed to be dead sober for this.

Kerridge approached Oliver.

"Mr Thomas. I've heard a lot about you."

"Then my reputation precedes me," Oliver smirked. "So when do we get down to business?"

"Relax, Ethan. Tonight we drink, relax. We can leave the rest until tomorrow."

Oliver stood up, following Kerridge to his table. Clark followed behind, his presence barely acknowledged by the blonde man. But Kerridge took note, raising an eyebrow.

"My bodyguard," Oliver told him, waving a hand casually.

"You're serious," Kerridge said.

"It's a serious business," Oliver said coolly. "Can't be too careful. Especially when dealing with the amount of money we're talking."

"But we're not. Yet," Kerridge smiled. He looked up, then held out a hand as Lex walked into the room. "Mr Thornton. Thank you for coming tonight." He made a small gesture with his hand, beckoning for the men to sit at the table. "Please. Order what you wish. It's all compliments of the house."

Lex turned and glared at Oliver.

"Ethan Thomas. Why am I not surprised to find you here?"

Kerridge raised an eyebrow at Lex. "You two know each other?" he asked.

"Professionally speaking," Oliver said coolly.

Lex snorted. "Thomas, here, would sell his own mother if it was warranted. Trust me, Kerridge you don't want to be doing business with the likes of him. And if you do not wish to end this business partnership before it begins, then I suggest you look elsewhere."

"I will keep counsel on who I do business with," Kerridge told him. "And his money's good."

Lex muttered under his breath. "It's your funeral."

Lex and Oliver continued to glare at each other, but sat at the table. Clark stood silently behind Oliver, x-raying the body of every potential buyer in the room. Kerridge had warned all his buyers that each was to come unarmed, as a show of faith. But as Clark saw, every one of them had broken the deal, judging from the amount of hidden hardware. If they weren't careful, this whole thing could go south very quickly.

Clark turned his gaze to the stage as the house lights went down and Lois appeared. Tonight she was wearing a long, black, sleeveless gown. A long, flowing skirt gathered tightly at the waist, emphasising her bust. Her gaze locked on him as the music began to play.

_**never know how much i love you  
>never know how much i care<br>when you put your arms around me  
>I give you fever that's so hard to bear<strong>_

_**you give me fever  
>when you kiss me<br>fever when you hold me tight  
>Fever<br>In the morning  
>Fever all through the night<br>**_

Clark watched as her body swayed sensuously to the music. Lois could and would sing anything, although she was more of a Whitesnake fan when she wanted to listen to music. But when she really made an effort, she was a good singer. She was an even better dancer. He remembered one night, when they'd just got engaged. Lois had been working undercover as a stripper. Clark had been in the strip club and Lois had stepped down off the stage at the end of her set to give him a lap dance.

Of course, afterward, he'd demanded a private showing.

"What I wouldn't give to have that," one of the men was muttering. Clark wasn't sure when his super-hearing had kicked in, but he'd definitely picked up the comment. He took a deep breath and controlled himself. It was one of the drawbacks of their work. And he knew Lois would never allow it anyway.

It had happened once. Clark couldn't remember exactly what the case had been, but the man had come on to Lois very strongly. Clark had wanted to immediately go to her and get in between them, but she had taken care of it herself.

"Just think, Smallville," she told him with a smirk. "One inch closer and he'd have been singing soprano."

Yep, that was his Lois. Ballsy, brilliant, beautiful. And his. How did he get so lucky?


	6. Chapter 5: The Demonstration

Chapter Five

It was near midnight before the group reassembled again at the penthouse. Lois had changed into comfortable clothing and removed all her stage make-up while Chloe prepared the footage for re-examining and analysis.

"Excellent work tonight, team," Lex said. He smiled at Oliver. "I'm especially impressed with your performance, Oliver."

"Kerridge certainly bought it."

Lex nodded. "It seems our former enmity was useful."

"One thing you learn in this business," Oliver returned, "was to draw on personal experience when necessary."

Lex saluted Oliver with a bottle of TyNant and Oliver took the compliment with a nod and a smile. He then turned to Clark.

"I couldn't help overhearing some of the comments the men were making about Lois. You show remarkable self-control."

"Oh, well, Smallville has had to learn the hard way that I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself," Lois smiled, walking into the room. She sat next to Clark on the couch.

"Do tell," Oliver said, looking interested.

"It was back in senior year," Lois began and Clark stopped her.

"Lois, they do not need to hear this story."

"Oh, I think they do. See, Smallville and I were constantly at each other's throats senior year."

"My Dad used to say that was foreplay," Chloe laughed.

"Yeah, laugh it up, cuz," Lois glared at her cousin. She grinned at the return glare from the blonde. "Anyway, I was forced to work on the school paper for extra credit. The faster I got out of that place, the better."

"You know, if you'd focused all your efforts on studying rather than trying to get out of high school, you might actually have earned your credits faster instead of being forced to graduate with the rest of us," Clark pointed out.

"You wanna sleep on the couch tonight?" Lois told him.

The others laughed at the puppy-dog look Clark gave her. He hammed it up even more with a low whine. She nudged him. Clark turned to the others and continued the story. Or tried to.

"Lois was working on a story and got into trouble. As she usually did."

"Who's telling this story, Smallville? You or me?"

"Fine. Go ahead."

"Thank you."

"It's just as much my story as yours," he said.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

Lex just grinned as Lois regaled them with tales of her exploits. It appeared that she had been only too willing to jump into the fray and Clark had been dragged along with her. She had been investigating a student suspected of trying to fix football games.

"So anyway, I had the guy on the ground, clutching his balls and Clark yells at me for not waiting for him."

"That was not what happened. I told you, the guy had Kryptonite."

"Kryptonite?" Lex asked.

"It's the green meteor rock. The one that used to make me sick."

"Oh. Right. Thanks for clearing that up."

Chloe, meanwhile had downloaded all the footage. They watched in silence. Then Lois gasped and grabbed Clark's arm.

"Smallville, that's Pritchard."

"Yeah, Lois, I know. I recognised him."

"Could this be a problem?" Lex asked. Clark shook his head.

"No. He doesn't know us. But we know of him through Lois' father. He was a soldier in General Lane's unit, until he was court-martialled for selling military secrets. He now works with terrorist groups."

"If there is going to be a problem, I'd like some advance warning," Lex said.

"Yeah, well every guy at that club tonight was carrying some serious hardware," Clark told him.

"That does not sound good," Oliver answered.

"Pritchard may try and cheat Kerridge. He's been known to do it before. He goes to these buyer meetings prepared to bid but if he loses, he will try to steal it anyway."

"Do we need to take affirmative action?" Lex asked. "Pritchard could become an issue."

"Pritchard is greedy and unscrupulous, we'll give him that," Lois said. "But I can give my father a call. Tell him while working on a story I spotted Pritchard." She grinned wryly. "Let me tell you. My father hates the thought of someone he used to command selling out. It's 'unpatriotic'."

"Take care of it," Lex nodded. "Now, the question is, where is the prototype?"

"I scanned the entire building," Clark told him. "There is an area of the basement that I can't scan, which has to mean it's lead-lined."

"So you think the prototype's in there?" Oliver asked.

"It has to be."

Lex nodded. "Clark, Lois, I want you both in that club tomorrow to find that prototype. Chloe, bring up the schematics for me."

Chloe tapped on the keyboard and the schematics were shown on the monitor.

"What are we looking for?" Clark asked.

"The weapon itself is controlled by a microchip," Lex told him.

Chloe spoke up. "Our techs have been developing our own chip. We want you to replace the chip in the prototype with ours. But wait until after the demonstration tomorrow afternoon."

"Kerridge will have the prototype returned under lock and key after the demonstration," Lex told them. "You'll get your opportunity to exchange the chips then."

"What will the new chip do?" Lois asked.

"It will effectively render the prototype useless," Chloe told her cousin. "Making Kerridge look as if he is trying to cheat the buyers."

The plan was slowly coming together. Once it was realised that the prototype was a dud, the six buyers would turn on Kerridge. Oliver's role was not only to outbid the other buyers, but also look as if he was setting up a separate deal with Kerridge. His cover's so-called enmity with Lex's cover was just another part of the set-up.

The meeting broke up for the night, but not before Lois had arranged to meet her father for lunch, along with Clark.

Kerridge had emailed a time for the demonstration. Oliver, Clark and Lex were to go to a disused shipyard at ten o'clock the next morning. Lex was going to meet Clark and Oliver there.

Clark was driving a classic Lamborghini when they pulled up just inside the gate of the shipyard. Kerridge turned and smiled as he watched Clark and Oliver climb out. Again, Oliver was dressed casually in a white t-shirt, with a shirt over the top, and a leather jacket, and designer jeans. The look was topped off with aviator sunglasses.

Clark was dressed in black again, still going for the menacing look. His outfit was similar to Oliver's, with a black, short leather jacket over the top and black sunglasses. The glasses covered his eyes so well that anyone watching wouldn't notice where he was looking.

"Ethan," Kerridge said, shaking his hand. Oliver nodded coolly.

Clark noticed quickly that all the men gathered were armed.

"I thought this was just a meeting," he said coldly. Kerridge looked at him.

"It is," he answered.

"Then why do the others feel the need to bring weapons?"

"He's right," Oliver said.

"Why do you need a bodyguard then?" Kerridge pointed out.

"Touche," Oliver answered. "My reasons for having a bodyguard are simple. I trust no one."

"Even him?" Kerridge asked, looking at Clark.

"Patrick owes me a debt. I saved his life once," Oliver told him, using the cover story Chloe had concocted. "And now he is responsible for my life."

"I see," Kerridge replied. "Care to elaborate?"

"Not really."

There was no further opportunity for Kerridge to ask any more questions, as Lex pulled up. He got out of the car, ignoring Oliver, and marching up to Kerridge.

"Where is this demonstration you promised?" he asked.

"We were just waiting for you," the other man told him. "Let's join the others."

Clark glanced at Pritchard, who was standing a little apart from the group. From the expression on his face, he could tell that Pritchard was scheming something. He was just as eager for the demonstration, but he kept tapping his ear. Clark narrowed his eyes and x-rayed. There was a device in Pritchard's ear, making it clear that he was communicating with someone.

He turned his attention back to the demonstration. An old boat was up on blocks. It was a rusted hulk, with a large hole in the side. It had clearly been sunk at some point and brought back up.

"I realise that this is hardly an effective target for the demonstration, but I wanted to show the full power of this weapon. Observe."

One of Kerridge's men had brought out a wheeled trolley, covered in a small, canvas cloth. From what they'd seen of the schematics and photographs, the weapon itself was barely bigger than a machine gun. But its power was purported to be a hundred times more effective.

The cloth was removed and the man stood behind it with a small device which resembled a PDA. He used a pointer to touch a few keys on the screen. A small hum began to emanate from the weapon, building to a louder volume. Then a beam appeared. Clark realised from the expressions on the other men's faces that the beam couldn't be seen by the naked eye. But since his visual acuity was beyond that of a normal human's it was visible to him.

He watched as the beam focused on the main body of the boat. The humming became almost a squeal as metal shifted. There were collective gasps from those gathered as the metal hulk began to glow and suddenly it vanished before their eyes.

"What the f...?" one of them cried out.

Clark glanced at Lex and Oliver. They both looked equally shocked. But then Lex caught his eye and nodded slightly. He'd clearly been expecting this. The shock was an act.

"Gentlemen, the bidding begins tonight. I will see you all at the club."

Effectively dismissed, the men all left the yard, talking about what they had seen. Lex stayed behind to talk to Kerridge while Clark got in the driver's seat of the Lamborghini. Oliver got in the other side, his face pale.

"Jesus," he said.

"Which is why we need to make sure that thing is taken off the market," Clark told him. "A weapon that destructive could hold an entire city to ransom."

"You're telling me."

"We'll stop him, Oliver," Clark told him.

Oliver's personal phone rang and he picked it up.

"Yeah? Okay, I'll tell him."

Oliver looked at Clark as he shut off the phone. "That was Lois. You're meeting the general at noon. And she says if you're late, don't bother coming." He looked at him curiously. "What's that all about?"

Clark sighed. "The general is a stickler for punctuality. He still thinks that I'm not good enough for his little girl."

"He obviously doesn't know you too well. Does he know about your abilities?"

"No. Lois and I discussed that a long time ago and we felt it was better that he didn't know. My parents always drummed into me that if any government official knew my secret then it could be dangerous."

"Sam Lane isn't technically a government official."

"No, but he is a four-star general, and that requires him to work with government officials. It's not that we don't trust him to keep the secret, it's just that we learned a long time ago that it can put lives in danger."

"Yet Chloe knows, Lois knows, and Lex knows."

"Lex found out by accident. But he understood the risks. I know now what he sacrificed when he chose to walk away from Luthorcorp."

"What do you mean?"

"Lex told me that Lionel basically threatened me and my family if he stayed in Smallville. Lex chose to walk away from Smallville and his father to protect me."

"Yet Lionel could still have taken it out on you and your parents. He's that ruthless."

Clark looked at Oliver. He was right. It was one of the things that still puzzled him. Lex had told him that Lionel had learned about his abilities. Which meant that Roger Nixon had to have revealed the truth to Lionel at some point. It didn't make sense that, armed with that information, Lionel would have just let Lex walk away and not do anything. Either to Lex, or Clark, or his parents.

He knew Lionel had had Lex framed for the murder that had cut short his CSI career. But it still made little sense. Somehow, someone else must have intervened. He was sure of it.

Leaving Oliver at the penthouse, Clark sped off to meet Lois at their apartment. Changing quickly into dress pants and shirt and a sports jacket, he came out of the bedroom. Lois was just putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She was wearing a long, pencil skirt, and a top in an aquamarine colour which brought out the tan in her skin.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he said.

"All the better to impress the general," she said.

He glanced at his watch. It was ten minutes to noon.

"We should go. We don't want to be late."

Despite having known the general for years, Clark was still nervous in the man's presence. Sam Lane had a way of looking at him as if he smelled something bad. Sam rose from his seat as they approached the table at the cafe. Precisely on the dot of noon.

"Well, at least you can be punctual," Sam told them.

"We know how much you love punctuality, boss," Lois said.

They ordered lunch and talked casually for a while. When the food came, Clark ate at a slow pace, not wanting the general to have anything to criticise him about.

As far as Sam Lane knew, the two of them were still working for a newspaper. Lois didn't disabuse him of that fact, and the freelance work they did together kept him from asking too many questions.

"So, Lois, what's this all about?"

"We're working on a story and we thought you might be interested."

"In what, exactly?"

"Remember Cole Pritchard?" Clark asked.

"Of course I remember him. What does that have to do with anything?"

"We know where he is, Dad. And what he's up to."

"We know what he did to you, sir," Clark said. "And we know you would love to have the opportunity to put him back in prison where he belongs."

"You're damn right I would," Sam barked. "Where is he?"

Clark and Lois glanced at each other, then told Sam what was going on. They maintained their cover, telling him they were working undercover for the story. Sam agreed to wait until they had done their bit, then he would send in his own people to take care of Pritchard. Sam Lane would agree to anything, as long as it meant he would get a chance to stop the man who had once been his best student. He was also the man who had nearly killed him when Sam had discovered his betrayal. What Sam didn't know was that Clark had been the one to save his life.


	7. Chapter 6: The Switch

Chapter Six

Lex was in a closed meeting with Kerridge while Chloe was working backstage in the club itself, pretending to be preparing for the night's show. In truth, she was creating loops in the security camera footage, ensuring that Clark and Lois could do what they had to do.

Oliver was sitting at the bar, drinking and talking with the other buyers. Or pretending to.

"That's quite some weapon," Pritchard said, standing beside Oliver, leaning on the bar.

"Yeah," Oliver said. "Should fetch a good price."

"Not sure the others know exactly what it is they're bidding for. Did you see their faces?"

Why was this guy talking to him? Oliver thought. But he kept his thoughts to himself. Clark had mentioned on the drive back to town that he had spotted Pritchard tapping his ear, a sure sign that he had a transmitter of some sort. Just who he was working with was a mystery they needed to solve.

"Hardly surprising," Oliver said. "Given what we witnessed."

"A weapon like that – could hold an entire city, no an entire world to ransom. Just imagine it. You could wipe out an entire block. And think, no radiation, no mess to clean up. Just wipe the slate clean."

Pritchard was grinning. "Enjoying yourself?" Oliver asked.

"Don't you get it? We're sitting on a gold mine here. Any terrorist group in the world would kill for that weapon. They could wipe out an entire civilisation in a day!"

Oliver turned away from him, sickened by what appeared to be Pritchard's blood lust. All he could see were the dollar signs in his eyes. Never mind the destructive ability of this weapon.

Meanwhile, Lois was waiting in the dressing room. She had changed clothes once again, this time into a black catsuit which moulded to her curves. She checked her reflection in the mirror as she started brushing her long hair..

The door opened and she turned. Clark came in.

"Anyone see you?" she asked.

He smirked. "Of course not, oh ye of little faith. Superspeed, remember?"

"Smartass. You ready?"

"I was born ready."

Lois rolled her eyes. "Anymore of the smart aleck comments and I'll divorce you."

"Ha, you couldn't last a day without me, Lane. Especially," he said, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, "without Clark Jnr."

"You wish," she said, narrowing her eyes at him, smacking his butt with her hairbrush. She finished pulling her hair back into a ponytail, picking up the elastic band from the dresser. "Do you notice Lex watching Chloe?"

"Yeah, I noticed," he said. "He likes her. So?"

"So does Oliver, unless I'm mistaken."

"Don't go trying any of your matchmaking tricks," Clark told her, watching as she finished preparing. She turned and looked at him.

"Aw, come on, Smallville. Chloe's been a no-fly zone since Jimmy died. She deserves to have a little fun."

"Technically, Lex is our boss, and it could get complicated."

"He's our team leader, and it's not the same thing. Besides, are you and I complicated?"

"Considering you've been driving me crazy since high school, Lane, I think we're a little different."

"You wish I drove you crazy, Smallville!"

Clark slapped her butt, just hard enough to make her jump. "Move it Lane."

"You're bossy today, Kent."

"Payback," he grinned. "For all the years you kept bossing me around."

Together they walked down the corridor, searching for the door to the basement. Lois kept checking for any of Kerridge's men.

"Don't worry," Clark whispered. "I'm sure Chloe's got her eye on things."

"You're fine guys," a voice said in Lois' ear. Chloe had given Lois a communicator, knowing that Clark would pick up her voice with his super hearing. "Just keep following the south wall."

They found the door a short time later. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Normally, Clark would have used his strength, but they wanted to ensure that their little visit to the basement remained undetected.

"Move over," Lois said, pushing him aside and pulling a small kit from the top of her catsuit.

"If you pull out a wand and call out 'Alohamora' I'm going to pretend not to know you," Clark told her.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Okay, you watch way too much Harry Potter. And I'm a lot taller than Hermione."

"You're much cuter too," Clark whispered in her ear.

"Ugh, you two are sickening," Chloe responded. "Could you two please focus on the job and stop flirting?"

"It's called banter, Chloe," Clark returned.

"Yeah, well don't think I didn't hear you trying to organise my love life," she said.

"That was your cousin, not me," Clark retorted.

"Guilty by association, Kent. You are married to her."

Lois, meanwhile, was busy with her lock picks. There was a barely audible click and she pushed down on the door handle. Clark grasped the edge of the door.

"Ladies first," he smiled, patting her on the backside.

"My hero," she said dryly.

It was dark inside, but they didn't dare switch on the light, worried it might trigger an alarm. Or someone needing supplies might see the band of light under the door. Clark had come prepared though, taking out a small flashlight. Holding Lois' hand, he went slowly down the concrete steps, peering into the darkness.

"Can you see anything?" Lois whispered.

As his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, he began to pick out shapes. He switched to x-ray mode.

"It's here," he said. "On the north facing wall." There was a vault and he guessed it had to be inside. It looked as if the vault was lead-lined. He continued down the steps, making his way to the vault.

As Clark shone the flashlight on the vault door, he could see that it was locked with an electronic combination.

"There have to be a million different combinations," Lois sighed.

"And the rest," Clark answered.

"Relax, cuz, I've got it covered," Chloe said. "When I got the blueprints to this place, I picked up the fact that there were a couple of vaults here. With electronic locking systems. I checked with the manufacturers. They're the standard five number combination. Given the keypad has 10 digits ..."

"Yeah, we get the picture," Clark said. "And we can't just break into the vault. Not if we don't want to be detected. All right," he continued, flexing his fingers. "Just watch the master at work."

"The master?" Lois snorted. But she stood back and watched as Clark's hand became a blur, trying different combinations. She couldn't even begin to guess how many he tried per second, but it was a lot. After about a minute, the system beeped quietly. Clark smiled smugly at Lois. "Fine," she said. "You are the master."

But as soon as the vault door was opened, they knew they were in trouble. There was an odd green glow coming from the corner of the vault. Lois' eyes widened as her husband immediately grunted in pain, falling to his knees.

"Smallville!"

"Kryptonite," he gasped.

Lois stared at the box containing meteor fragments in horror. She could see Clark's face, now greyish in the weak light. Had Kerridge been expecting something like this? Or was this just something that the original club owner had kept. Kerridge didn't strike her as the type of man who would keep things for sentimental reasons.

"Clark!"

"Finish the job, Lois. Trade the chips." With a trembling hand, he reached up, handing her the chip.

She picked up the flashlight from the floor where he'd dropped it, and put it on the shelf of the vault. Then she bent down and helped him drag himself to a reasonable distance from the rock. The glow died down the further away he got, until it just looked like a normal hunk of rock.

Lois bit her lip, wondering if she should dispose of the Kryptonite.

"Leave it, Lo," Clark told her from his safe position. "We don't want Kerridge to know, remember?'

Oh, right, she thought. Picking up the flashlight, she took the chip and her kit and walked into the vault, uncovering the weapon. She put the flashlight down on its side, hoping the beam was positioned well enough to give her enough light to do what she needed to do.

"Okay, Lois," Chloe said in her ear. "Just be very careful. All you need to do is pop the chip out. Just open up the housing."

Lois looked around and saw the little hatch leading to the main unit. Taking a tiny screwdriver, she unscrewed it slowly and carefully, pulling it away. Using the screwdriver again, she pried at the chip. Her whole body was tense, her shoulders aching from the tension. One slip and who knew what would happen.

Carefully levering the screwdriver between the gap, she managed to pop the chip out. Heaving a relieved sigh, she put the first chip down and took the second chip, inserting it in exactly the same position.

Lex was nursing a scotch as he continued to listen to Kerridge's plans. Or at least pretend to. He glanced at the clock. Clark and Lois should have been done by now. But he'd had no signal from Chloe yet.

He found his mind wandering, thinking about the young woman. She was certainly brighter than the people he'd worked with in the past. And bold. He guessed that boldness was an inherited trait, since Lois seemed to show the same trait.

Kerridge was looking at him and Lex snapped to attention.

"What's with you and Thomas?"

"Is it relevant?" Lex asked.

"Merely curious. There seems to be some bad blood between you."

"Old history," Lex said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"You said he'd sell his own mother, if the price was right."

"He would too."

"Such animosity. What happened between the two of you?"

"Thomas worked with me on another project. It was several years ago. I confided in him and he betrayed that confidence."

"On what, exactly."

"I choose to share little, these days," Lex told him. "But let's just say that he took that confidence and used it against me. I lost the deal and he made a profit from it." Lex shrugged. "My own fault, I suppose. I was taught to trust no one. I forgot that lesson for a moment."

He glanced surreptitiously at the clock again. Where the hell were they?

Oliver continued to pretend to be listening to the other buyers, but he was growing concerned. One of Kerridge's men was looking antsy. He kept glancing at the backstage area. It seemed odd, since Lois was not due to go on for another hour.

"Where are you?" he whispered.

As he continued to watch, the man began to move toward the backstage area. He glanced at the men around him, all engaged in deep conversation.

"Incoming," he told Chloe. Then he sat back and waited for the shit to hit the fan, knowing there was not a lot he could do about it. Lois and Clark knew their jobs.

Lois quickly closed the vault door and Clark, relieved that he could now get close, grabbed her hand.

"Guys, heads up," Chloe told them. "One of Kerridge's men is heading your way."

Lois looked at Clark, barely able to make out his expression in the darkness. He put his arms around her, making her hold tight, then sped up the stairs, ensuring the door was locked and everything was as it should be, then continued at superspeed back to her dressing room.

Breathless, Lois felt herself put back on her feet. She quickly undressed out of the catsuit and grabbed a robe from the back of the door.

"Miss Dayne?"

Lois opened the door and looked out at the man. "Yes?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were all right. Our security people said they thought they saw something odd. Have you heard or seen anything?"

"Nope, just me," she said, smiling brightly. She'd got better at lying over the years, but it was still just as hard to make a smile look genuine. She closed the door, leaving the man outside, then turned and looked at Clark. "That was close," she said.

"Too close," he returned.


	8. Chapter 7: The Bids

Chapter Seven

Clark went to leave, his hand on the door handle, when Lois grabbed him. She kissed him hard, mussing up his hair and pulling at the top buttons of his black shirt, exposing his chest. When she pulled back, he had a smudge of lipstick on his mouth.

As he opened the door to her dressing room, he could see the guard was standing at the end of the corridor. Lois glanced at him, then let him pull her into his arms for another kiss, in full view of the guard. She combed her fingers through his hair, whimpering.

Clark broke it off, smirking.

"Not now, kitten," he said. "Maybe I'll catch you after you sing for your supper."

"When I sing, it'll only be for you, baby," Lois said in a breathy voice. But her eyes were glittering.

Oh, he was so going to be in for it later that night. He could tell. But it had been the plan they'd agreed on in case there was a chance they would get caught.

Clark whistled as he swaggered past the guard.

"Let me tell ya, buddy, that singer?" He turned and glanced toward the doorway where she was still watching. "Real wildcat in the sack." He patted the man on the shoulder, still smirking, and strode back out to the bar as if he owned the place.

Oliver frowned at him.

"You disappeared on me," he said.

"Figured I'd check out the talent," Clark smirked. "That singer is hot. I mean ..." He made a hissing sound.

Pritchard was still standing close to Oliver and Clark didn't have the chance to explain what had really gone down. Oliver continued to frown at him.

"You keep your mind on the job and out of your pants," he snapped. "And as for checking out the talent, do that in your own time."

"Relax," Clark returned, giving him a smack on the shoulder. "You're still alive, aren't you?"

Oliver continued to glare while Clark went to stand where he could watch the proceedings. Lex, meanwhile, had come out of the meeting with Kerridge. He had been trying to concentrate on both Clark and Lois and Kerridge as well, so it could look as if he was still interested. So he hadn't heard what had happened down in the basement.

He glanced at Clark curiously, but Clark didn't appear too concerned. It had probably been just a minor glitch in proceedings. He had to trust that everything else had gone to plan.

The auction was due to start around the same time as Lois was to appear. It would be a good cover, Lex thought. While the guests in the club who weren't part of the auction watched the show, the men could bid without anyone knowing what was going on.

The bidding was going to be fairly simple. Each man would place a bid online, ensuring that their bids would be anonymous, using only a secure identification number. It would then be transmitted to Kerridge's palm pilot and he would decide on the winning bid. And just to ensure that every bidder there was taking their business seriously, Kerridge had made it a requirement that every one transferred a deposit of one million dollars.

Chloe knocked on Lois' door and went in to see her cousin getting ready.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"We managed the transfer. Almost got caught though."

"Yeah, I saw that little performance in the corridor."

"It's what Clark and I agreed on."

"And I bet you'll make him pay for the 'kitten' remark in spades."

Lois grinned, then turned back to the mirror to resume putting on her make-up.

"I have to get my kicks with him somehow."

"You know, ever since you two have known each other, you've always tried to one-up the other."

"That's what I like to call busting his chops." Lois turned and looked at Chloe. "Really, I think Clark and I work so well because we challenge each other. You know, I bet Lex would do the same for you."

"Lex?" Chloe snickered. "Oh, come on, Lois, you really can't be serious. Lex wouldn't be interested in me."

"Why not? Chloe, you're smart, gorgeous, funny. And from what I've heard about Lex, he's into the intellectual ones."

"I also happen to be blonde."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Chloe sighed. "I did a little research on our team leader. Back before he became the town pariah in Smallville, and Clark's BFF, Lex was quite the partier. And he was seen with a lot of women. Ninety percent of whom were brunettes."

"And men have been known to go against type, in the right circumstances. Chloe, trust me. He likes you."

"What about Oliver? He seems okay. And he likes me."

"Oliver Queen is a playboy. He dates supermodels like they're going out of style." Chloe stared at her. "You're not the only one who does research."

"That was just a cover," Chloe told her.

"No it isn't," Lois insisted. She stood and looked at her cousin. "Sweetie, all I'm saying is, Jimmy wouldn't want you to be alone."

"Jimmy ..."

"It's been nearly three years, Chlo. It's time. And I think Lex would be good for you."

Chloe glared at her cousin. "You are persistent, aren't you?"

"I think Smallville would call it stubbornness."

"He'd be right."

"Don't forget, Sullivan, we swam in the same gene pool."

Chloe chuckled. "Yeah, like that's an image I want to think about. Okay, okay, but once the job's over."

She looked over the dress Lois was wearing tonight. This time Lois was wearing a cocktail gown in scarlet. The colour set off a sparkle in her hazel eyes, adding a colour to her cheeks. Chloe had often envied her cousin her looks but as Clark and Lois had often reminded her, she had a beauty all her own, that no one could take away from her.

She glanced at her watch.

"Okay, cuz. It's time. Knock 'em dead out there."

Lois snickered. "You know, why is it that I always have to play the femme fatale role in these games?"

"Just lucky I guess. Come on, Lo, you know you need to distract the players while I do my thing."

"So go do your thang cuz."

Clark stood watching the proceedings. The buyers were all gathered around the table, waiting for the auction to begin. He pretended to be watching out of boredom, careful not to show any interest at all in what was going on.

Lex didn't even spare him a glance, watching as Kerridge completed his part of the night's deal, providing a bank account number to each buyer. It was a numbered account in Zurich, where, of course, they did not pay taxes. The million dollars each would be paying as a deposit was non-refundable.

Pritchard, for some reason, was keeping a sharp eye on Oliver. For what reason, Clark couldn't be sure. But it was something to do with whoever had been on the other end of Pritchard's transmitter earlier that day.

The background music began to play, announcing Lois' entrance to the stage. Clark turned to watch her, taken by the siren appearing before him. She knew he loved her in red.

Her voice was soft and sultry as she began to sing.

_**A cigarette that bares a lipstick's traces  
>An airline ticket to romantic places<br>And still my heart has wings  
>These foolish things remind me of you.<strong>_

A tinkling piano in the next apartment  
>Those stumblin'words that told you what my heart meant<br>A fairground's painted swings  
>These foolish things remind me of you.<p>

You came, you saw,  
>You conquered me<br>When you did that to me  
>I knew somehow this had to be<p>

The winds of march that made my heart a dancer  
>A telephone that rings but who's to answer<br>Oh, how the ghost of you clings  
>These foolish things remind me of you<p>

And it was on. Every buyer was starting the transfer of their deposits. Clark could see each one busy typing on their phones, ensuring the transfers went through.

Kerridge had requested that Lex oversee this part of the transaction. He had no reason not to trust Lex, and Clark knew the plan was to let the deposits go through.

Lois began to move in time to the music, distracting the men for a moment, as Kerridge told them to send their bids. Each man moved to comply.

Clark tuned the music out, his super-hearing picking up another voice.

"They're starting to put through the bids now." Pause. "Well, if we lose, then I know how to deal with it. Don't worry. I will take care of it. Kerridge is as good as dead."

Clark glanced at Lex, then shifted his gaze quickly to Pritchard, indicating Lex needed to keep a close eye on him. Lex nodded surreptitiously.

The wait was almost agony for them all as the buyers put in their anonymous bids. Kerridge looked at the figures coming through, then bent to talk to Lex, showing him the figures. Lex nodded.

Kerridge turned to Oliver.

"Congratulations, Mr Thomas. Now, if you will please transfer the rest of the money to my account, I will organise delivery of your purchase."

So far, so good. But the night wasn't over yet.

Disappointed, the other buyers turned to Oliver, shaking his hand, but clearly bitter at having lost. Oliver took it all with a casual smirk, transferring the money across.

Lois came down from the stage, playing the second song of her act, mixing it up with the patrons. She sauntered over to Clark, brushing a hand over his backside, flirting briefly with him before moving on to the next man. But Clark noticed she didn't do so much as touch the others.

Meanwhile, Pritchard was offering Oliver a celebratory drink over at the bar.

"Champagne," he ordered. The bartender nodded and opened a bottle. "Congratulations," Pritchard smirked. "I hope it was worth the price you paid."

"So do I," Oliver said, lifting his glass.

"Name your price," Pritchard said. "I'll double it."

Oliver laughed. "What? Are you insane?"

"Listen to me. You have no idea what you've bought. That weapon, it's of great value to my employer."

"As it is mine."

Clark sauntered over as Pritchard pressed close to Oliver. "You really don't want to get caught up in the middle of this."

"In the middle of what?"

"I will have that weapon. By any means necessary."

Pritchard walked away, leaving Oliver and Clark watching his retreat. They exchanged a look, then Clark left the bar.

Lex watched Clark leave. Phase three of the plan was almost complete. It was time for phase four to begin. He nodded at Kerridge, going to the bar as if to congratulate Oliver. Kerridge, meanwhile, had ordered his men to remove the weapon from the vault and have it loaded onto a truck Oliver would use to move the prototype.

One of the disappointed buyers confronted Kerridge. All activity in the club ceased at the disturbance.

"What the hell have you done?" he yelled at Kerridge.

"What are you talking about?"

"The money. Where is it?"

"What money? I don't understand."

"The funds in my account. I had ten million in my account to bid on the prototype. Now the funds have disappeared. They were transferred out a few minutes ago. Into your account."

"That's ridiculous." Kerridge began typing on his laptop, bringing up his financial records. Some of the other buyers had also come back in, shouting that Kerridge had robbed them blind.

"I have done nothing," Kerridge shouted in return.

The buyers turned on Oliver.

"You! You have done this somehow."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You're a plant. There is no other explanation. How else would you have made the successful bid?"

"I'm a buyer, just like you," Oliver said in protest.

Lex looked at him. "Rather convenient, don't you think, that yours was the most successful bid. And it seems also rather strange that even after I warned Kerridge about you that he was still keen to trust you."

Kerridge looked at them in protest. "I swear to you I did not do this."

"You're not only a liar, but you're also a con artist, Kerridge. Our business is at an end!"

"No, you don't understand! Mr Thornton, please, I ... the prototype was mine. I designed it. And Luthor stole the design away from me. That's why I had to steal it back from Luthorcorp."

"So far, this does not interest me one bit. And it proves nothing."

"Look, you're the one who wanted to take down Lionel Luthor. You're using me as much as I ..."

"I'm a businessman, Kerridge," Lex told him. "You claimed you needed my business expertise for legitimate reasons. Are you telling me now that this was all a lie?"

"And what is Lionel Luthor but a crook and a thug? Put it in a business suit but it still remains the same under the surface. You said it yourself. You know what he's done, how he managed to rise from humble beginnings."

"And I can see how you would choose to go to extraordinary lengths to get what you want. But that makes you no less than a thief yourself."

Oliver, meanwhile, had used the argument to slip out, going quietly backstage. Clark and Chloe were waiting for him.

"They could be going on all night in there," Oliver chuckled. He saw that Clark was looking serious. "What is it?"

"Pritchard. He may try and steal the prototype."

"Yeah, I got that impression." Oliver looked at Chloe. "Nice work, by the way."

Chloe smirked. "Thank you." She had used Kerridge's own security against him, accessing his account and tracking all the transactions the moment the deposits had been made. While Lois had been circulating among the disappointed buyers, Chloe had quietly accessed their own accounts, making it look as if Kerridge had stolen the money from them.

"Uh, there's something I think you guys need to know, too," she said.

"What's that?"

"Pritchard's bankroll."


	9. Chapter 8: The Endgame

Chapter Eight

Chloe brought up the details on her laptop and showed it to Oliver. He stared at the data showing the transfers of funds and the sources of funding. Chloe pointed to the transactions detailing Pritchard's source and he read the name, his eyes widening in shock.

"Crap! Lex needs to see this. Why don't you wrap things up here with Lois. Clark and I will go stop Pritchard."

"If you think for one second I'm going to stay here and let you guys get all the credit," Lois said, coming out of the dressing room in her black catsuit.

"Honey, now is not the time," Clark told her.

Lois glared at him. "Uh, baby," she said, glaring at him and putting emphasis on the syllables, "you might want to rethink that if you want to sleep in our bed tonight."

Clark glared back at her. "I don't want to argue about this with you. You're not going. Besides, you'll just slow us down."

Lois placed her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, Mr Kent, but since when did you become the boss of me?"

Clark groaned. He clearly knew he wasn't going to win this argument.

"Fine!" he told her. "But if you get yourself shot, don't come complaining to me."

"Fine!"

Chloe just rolled her eyes. "Ignore them. They're always like this. Especially when the job ends up like this."

Oliver chuckled and grinned at Clark.

"Glad I'm not married to her. She's a real handful, by the look of it."

"Yeah, laugh it up, blondie," Lois glared. She turned, grabbing Clark's arm. "Let's go, farmboy!"

Oliver followed them out, retrieving his equipment from the back of his car. He quickly came up with a plan with Clark for them both to follow the truck, watching for Pritchard to make his move. Lois would drive the truck. She had tied her long hair into a pony tail and had pulled a cap on over it. She also carried a handgun. A Smith and Wesson nine millimetre.

"Nice piece," Oliver said as he pulled on his hood and glasses. He'd already turned on the modulator which disguised his voice.

The agency had encouraged him to keep up his Green Arrow persona, as it made a great cover for him. Oliver continued to use it on his assignments whenever it was necessary.

"Thanks."

He could see that she was very comfortable with guns. Unlike Clark, who appeared to be very uncomfortable with the idea. But he had a resigned look on his face.

Lois got into the truck and began to drive out into traffic. Clark took to the air, while Oliver used his equipment to jump from building to building. He wasn't as fast as Clark, but he still managed to follow.

Chloe was packing up her equipment as Lex came out, pulling the latex mask off his head.

"Clark, Ollie and Lois are moving the prototype."

"Any sign of Pritchard?"

"Not yet. But Lex, there's something you need to know. I found out who's been financing Pritchard."

"I think I already know, Chloe," he said. "Let's move. It's my guess they'll make a move as soon as the truck reaches the docks."

Chloe looked at him, wondering if he really did know the truth about who Pritchard was working for. She followed him out to the Mercedes and got in, perching the laptop on her lap as he got in the driver's seat.

"Hand me the wipes," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Chloe picked up the wipes and handed one to him, watching as he wiped his face, continuing to drive just above the speed limit. She remembered Clark telling her that Lex had been a fast driver back in Smallville, but he was also a skilled driver.

Lex glanced at her, then grinned.

"I once had a case at Indianapolis. Who'd have thought years of a misspent youth would come in handy in this job?"

"I'd say it's almost a pre-requisite," Chloe quipped.

"That's what I like about you Chloe."

"What's that?"

"I never thought anyone would be able to match my quick wit."

Chloe felt warmth on her face. Lois was right. Lex did like her. No one had ever complimented her in that way before.

She watched as he concentrated on driving, his head cocked, listening to the action.

"What about Kerridge?" she asked.

"He's taken care of." Lex glanced at her. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's in custody as we speak."

"So now what? We finish this?"

Lex nodded. He tapped his ear, signalling for quiet so he could hear what was happening ahead of them.

"Anything yet?" Clark asked via the communicator.

"Nothing yet. Keep your shirt on Smallville."

"Maintain radio silence until necessary."

"Lex?"

"No it's the Easter Bunny, Clark. Just keep an eye on the truck. If they remain true to form, they'll wait until the truck reaches the docks. Be prepared for a firefight."

Clark continued to watch, glancing back now and then to see Oliver running across the rooftops, rappelling when needed.

They'd almost made it to the docks when it happened. Another truck came out of nowhere and forced Lois to take evasive action, screeching to a halt.

"Here we go," she said into the comlink.

She grabbed her gun and got out, ducking down as Pritchard fired on the truck with a semi-automatic. She moved to the edge of the door, firing back. It was too dark for her to aim at anything specific so she just hoped she hit the tyres.

Clark wasn't far behind, and his night vision was much better. He flew in, blocking Pritchard's line of vision and preventing him from shooting Lois. He grabbed Pritchard's gun and crushed it. The man stared at him in horror.

"You're ... you're ..."

Clark pushed him against the link fence bordering the entry to one of the warehouses and broke the fence, wrapping the links around him.

Meanwhile, Lois was watching to see if any more men were coming out and didn't see one come up behind her. He grabbed her, one arm around her neck, making her drop her gun, then pulled her out into full view.

Oliver was standing on the rooftop, watching, arrow at the ready.

"Drop it Green Arrow, or she dies."

Clark had just finished wrapping up Pritchard and raced back to find Lois with a gun to her head. He approached, only to drop to the ground in agony, his stomach roiling with nausea. He watched, helpless, as a pair of feet in expensive leather shoes stepped up.

"Clark Kent. It's been a long time."

Clark looked up in horror at the bearded face of Lionel Luthor. He could see the older man's hand glowing green and realised Lionel was holding green Kryptonite.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," he said.

He turned to his two other men.

"Get the prototype," he said, gesturing for them to go to the back of the truck.

Lois was pushed toward Clark, and Oliver was forced down from the warehouse rooftop. All three were held at gunpoint.

Lionel smirked at them.

"John Kerridge seriously under-estimated me if he thought he could use this to take control of Intergang."

"Or perhaps you over-estimated yourself," another voice said.

The three captives looked up to see Lex standing with Chloe, while federal agents surrounded them.

"Lex?"

"Hello Dad," Lex smirked.

"Well, son, I have to admit I'm surprised, but very impressed."

Clark scrambled to his feet as Lex took the meteor rock from his father and enclosed it in a lead-lined box. He looked up at Lionel.

"We knew once Pritchard lost the auction he'd come after us," Clark told the older man.

"Just as we knew you were bankrolling him," Chloe told him. "We also have evidence that you stole the plans for the prototype from Kerridge in the first place."

Lois glared at him. "You know, Kerridge was right about one thing. Putting a suit on doesn't change the fact that you're still a thug and a bully."

"Careful, Ms Lane," he said. "I'd hate for the same thing to happen to you that happened to Perry White."

"And what would that be?" another voice growled.

Everyone turned and looked at the newcomer. He was in his late fifties, with sandy blonde hair. Lionel stared at him in shock.

"Perry White? But you were dead!"

"No, you were meant to think I was dead, Luthor," Perry growled.

Lionel protested his innocence loudly as he was led away in handcuffs.

It was a cheerful group that made their way back to Lex's penthouse apartment. Perry joined them. Lois was happy to see her old boss was alive.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said.

"We couldn't take any chances," Perry told her. "If you knew I was alive ..."

"Then there was every chance that Lionel could find out you were alive, and that would have blown everything," Lex told her gently.

"When the Feds realised Lionel had been planning to get rid of me, they faked my death. Then they recruited me."

Clark looked at Lex. "You knew about this?"

Lex nodded. "As soon as the agency recruited me, they introduced me to Perry. Our bosses realised they would need a deep cover operation to take Lionel down. Perry's also the reason you, Lois and Chloe were recruited. Oliver was my idea."

"And you did a great job, team. You see, we needed a way to get Lionel out in the open, but that one final piece just seemed to elude us. Along comes a sucker like John Kerridge, who designed the prototype, only for Lionel to steal it. We got our big break when one of Kerridge's men came to us and told us Kerridge was planning on stealing the prototype back, then auctioning it off to the highest bidder."

Lex took up the story.

"We knew Lionel would want to get it back, but we weren't sure who Lionel would send. That's when Perry called me in for the operation, and set up the team. We've all had our issues with Lionel."

"How did you know Ollie would make the winning bid?" Chloe asked. "I didn't set it up."

"No, I know. We realised that it was going to be difficult blocking the sale without being detected and I wasn't willing to put the team at risk. So for Ollie to win the sale was a coincidence, I assure you," Lex said. "We knew that if Pritchard lost, he would go after whoever had made the winning bid. As for exchanging the chips, that was an insurance policy, in case we were unable to win the bid ourselves. I'm thankful that it was unnecessary in the end."

He turned and looked at Oliver. "As for the supposed enmity between you and I, Oliver, that was as much as set up for Pritchard as it was for Kerridge."

"Making both of them think I would be open to making a deal, since you'd already tried to sell the story that I was greedy and unscrupulous." Oliver nodded. It made sense.

"I'm glad we understand each other, Oliver," Lex said. "We've both had our issues about our respective pasts, but I think the last few days prove that we do work well together."

"That's right," Perry said. "You guys make a great team. With your abilities, Kent, your street smarts, Lane, your skills with weapons Queen, not to mention the combined intellectual powers of Luthor and Sullivan here, I'm sure you will be a team to reckon with."

"I agree wholeheartedly."


	10. Chapter 9: Mission Debrief

Chapter Nine

The team turned to look at the man on the screen. He was aged in his late seventies or early eighties, with white hair and a lined face.

"Good evening Mr Phelps," Perry spoke to the old man on the screen.

"Mr White, Mr Luthor. Congratulations on a successful mission. It is fair to say that I have worked with the best in the business. And the team you have put together can now be numbered among them. I can see that I am leaving the agency in good hands."

"Mr Phelps?" Perry asked.

"Perry, this has been my life for almost fifty years. It is time for a younger generation to take over. And I am confident you will be the best man for the job."

"Thank you, sir. I hope to do you proud."

Jim Phelps, former IMF team leader, and, now retired, head of the agency, smiled briefly, signing off.

Clark put his arm around his wife as Lex poured them all a celebratory drink. Perry begged off the champagne.

"Gave up the sauce years ago," he said. "I'll stick to sparkling water," he said.

"Fair enough," Lex smiled.

Clark glanced at Lex with a questioning look.

"There's something that I still don't understand."

"What's that, Clark?"

"You left Smallville, but Lionel still knew something about me. And I found out later that he was the one who helped my parents fake the adoption. How did you stop Lionel from digging further?"

"Well, for one thing, I destroyed any evidence I had on you before I left. And second, I had a friend tell Lionel that certain documents had been placed with an attorney, with copies of it ready to be distributed to every news media organisation in the country. If he so much as touched a hair on your head, the information would be released and he would be ruined. Clark, we had evidence on him dating back twenty or thirty years. Evidence of back room deals, blackmail, extortion. I didn't leave without making sure you'd be protected."

"You didn't have to walk away, though, Lex," Lois said.

"I didn't want to walk away either, but I was convinced it was the only way to protect you and your family. And the only way to stop Lionel for good."

Chloe looked at him. A lot of the things he'd told them over the past few days were beginning to add up, now that she knew the truth of the entire operation.

"So this was one of the reasons why you've spent the last few years establishing a cover."

"If there's one thing I've learned where Lionel is concerned, it's the necessity for contingencies. We had been looking for an opportunity like this for years, but we couldn't predict the path that opportunity would take."

"So you chose to establish yourself as a potential business rival, in case the opportunity presented itself. But when did you realise Kerridge would become a possibility?"

Perry answered that.

"When our inside man in Luthorcorp told us Lionel had stolen the plans to the prototype. We realised that if Kerridge had won the military contract with his prototype, then it could have been a potential goldmine for Kerridge's company. Lionel is known for using whatever means necessary to ensure that doesn't happen. And the man has built his career on creating opportunities for himself."

"My inside knowledge of Luthorcorp made me a prime candidate for helping take down Lionel."

"As for you three," Perry said, "the work you put in before the agency had to intervene gave them enough to realise that Lionel was not just a threat to the city, but also to national security."

Chloe frowned. "I get that Kerridge wanted revenge on Lionel for what Lionel did to his business, but how does he fit in with the rest of it?"

"Kerridge realised that he couldn't beat Lionel at his own game, so he decided to build himself a reputation as a drug and arms dealer, using his own contacts in the military. Kerridge spent about five years in the army before he was expelled for repeated infractions."

"Once he had the reputation, he began to put his plan into action. Taking over Intergang."

"Why?"

Clark had remained silent through most of this, but he looked up at Lex at the mention of Intergang.

"Intergang was Morgan Edge," he said slowly. "And Edge and Lionel were friends. Hang on, Kerridge knew Edge, didn't he?" He thought back to some of the research he'd studied. "Edge financed him for the business."

"And when that failed, with Edge gone, he decided to take over Intergang."

"Making him the biggest player in town. Next to Lionel," Chloe mused. "Of course, Lionel would come after him."

"And provided the agency with the best window of opportunity to take down Lionel for good." Perry grinned at Lex. "Hell of a job, kid. Glad you're on our side. If you'd continued working for your old man, you would have been formidable."

"I still am formidable," Lex smiled.

Perry laughed. "Ain't gonna argue with that. Well, kids, I don't know about you, but it's way past my bedtime. Lex, I'll see you tomorrow for the debriefing. Again, congratulations. Job well done."

"Thanks Perry."

Lois and Clark said goodnight and followed Perry out the door. Oliver nodded at Lex and left shortly after, while Chloe helped him clear away the glasses.

Lex paused and looked at her.

"Chloe, I know we haven't known each other very long, but, I just wanted to say that I'm proud to have you on my team. If Perry says I'm formidable, then you're extraordinary. It's just a shame we never got to know each other in Smallville."

Chloe smiled.

"Well, Lex, it's not too late to change that."

One week later

Chloe was relaxing in the seat beside him, leaning back, looking out at the blue sky as they flew through the air. Lex smiled down at her. The past week had certainly been eventful. After being debriefed by his new boss, Lex had then spent as much time as he could getting to know the petite blonde. And the more time he spent with her, the more he liked what he saw.

And it seemed it was mutual. Chloe had been only too happy to accompany him on a business trip to LA

A hostess paused in the aisle and smiled down at him.

"Would you like to watch a movie, Mr Luthor?"

"Oh, I'm not really into Hollywood movies," he said casually.

"Then perhaps you would care to try some French cinema?" she asked, handing him a small disk.

Lex looked at Chloe, who felt in the gap between their seats, pulling out a small black case. Lex pressed his thumb to the pad on the top. There were a number of quiet beeps, unlocking the case. Lex opened it, inserting the disk into the drive.

Chloe handed him a pair of headphones from the pocket in front. He plugged them in, handing Chloe one of the ear buds, inserting his into his own ear.

The screen flickered into life.

"Good morning Mr Luthor ..."

THE END?


End file.
